Sunrisers Hyderabad had one of the most exciting squads on paper after the auction ended. However, three weeks into IPL 2023, SRH find themselves in the ninth position in the points table. The Orange Army have recorded only two wins from four matches so far.
New captain Aiden Markram has struggled to find the right combination. In their most recent match against the Chennai Super Kings, SRH scored only 134/7 in 20 overs and lost by seven wickets. SRH’s next two matches are against the 10th-placed Delhi Capitals.
DC are struggling in the tournament as well. It is a golden chance for SRH to record two wins in two matches and rise higher in the points table. Here are two changes they need to make to return to winning ways in IPL 2023.
1. SRH should demote Harry Brook in their IPL 2023 playing XI
Sunrisers Hyderabad raised quite a few eyebrows when they used Harry Brook as an opener. He plays at number four or five for England. While Brook has scored a century, he has flopped in the other matches.
SRH have two fantastic Indian opening options in Mayank Agarwal and Abhishek Sharma. Mayank returned to form against Mumbai Indians with a 41-ball 48, while Sharma had an excellent season as opener last season. Using Mayank and Abhishek as openers with Brook in the middle-order will give all batters a comfortable batting position.
2. Drop Marco Jansen for Akeal Hosein
Fans who follow other T20 leagues would know that Akeal Hosein is a master of bowling in the powerplay overs, an area where SRH have struggled this year. In the match against KKR, Umran Malik conceded six boundaries off six balls against Nitish Rana in the powerplay.
Even in the most recent game against CSK, Marco Jansen and Aiden Markram conceded boundaries which gave CSK a good start. Perhaps, SRH should pick Akeal Hosein in the playing XI instead of Jansen. The trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Washington Sundar and Hosein can trouble the opposition batters a lot.
