After his splendid performance on Day 5 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Hanuma Vihari has become a popular cricketer in the country. He is not part of the England series but will play a crucial role in the future games that would be held away from home.
Despite still being young from a cricketing perspective, Vihari has been earmarked as a Test batsman. However, a similar thing was done with KL Rahul a couple of years ago. As we are all aware, KL Rahul is one of the best limited-overs’ batsmen that India has at the moment.
Hence, Vihari can also target a similar transition in the coming years. Playing in IPL could be the start of this. On that note, if Vihari is available, here are four franchises that must target the player at the upcoming auctions.
1. Rajasthan Royals
Amongst the big-hitters in the squad, Rajasthan Royals will need a player who can stay calm and hold one end of the crease. Ajinkya Rahane did that a couple of years ago, and Steve Smith also operated in a similar role. Both are currently not present in the squad. Hence, Hanuma Vihari can be a suitable option to take up that responsibility. He is a technically proficient batsman, and although he may not have a huge strike-rate, Vihari’s presence on the crease can help the likes of Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler play more freely. Vihari can also provide an off-spin option, something that only Riyan Parag can offer at the moment.
2. Sunrisers Hyderabad
Hanuma Vihari has played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the past. A return to his home-franchise may not be a bad choice for all parties involved. SRH has perenially struggled to find a consistent domestic middle-order batsman. With Vihari, although he may not be the T20 type, he comes in with an array of other impressive attributes. Last season, the likes of Priyam Garg and Abdul Samad occupied at least one slot in the XI. If Vihari comes in, he can bat at that position and provide an experienced option to the captain. More importantly, a Telugu-speaking cricketer in the squad will please the local fans.
3. Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore is in serious need of some domestic middle-order firepower for the upcoming season. Barring Virat and AB, there is not one established batsman in the squad. This will be a real hard obstacle the team has to overcome if they need to qualify to the playoffs next edition. Hence, hiring a guy like Hanuma Vihari might be a decent choice. Vihari can open the innings and allow Devdutt Padikkal to go hard in the powerplay. If DP loses his wicket too, Virat and AB can come in and play their natural game with the insurance that Vihari will stay at the crease. This way, RCB can also employ a few foreign power-hitters below AB in the XI.
4. Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings will have one eye on the future editions as it picks its squad for the upcoming campaign. With the likes of Raina and MSD entering the last few years of their IPL careers, there needs to be fresh blood that will don the yellow jersey from now on. Hanuma Vihari can be a good investment and he can be a real force if he starts developing his T20 game from IPL 2021. MSD likes multi-utility players, and Vihari is one of them. He can offer off-spin, and this is something that will impress the captain.
