Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) finished in eighth place with just six wins in the previous IPL season, unable to provide good entertainment to their fans. The organisation severed ways with Kane Williamson and several other key players after seeing shambolic performances under his guidance.
SRH participated in the mini-auction last month with a budget of INR 42.25 crore. They got several good players in the tournament, including Harry Brook, Mayank Agarwal, Adil Rashid, and Akeal Hosein. Along with these players, the franchise acquired South African wicket-keeper batter Heinrich Klaasen, who has a poor record in the competition. The Proteas hitter was signed for a whopping INR 5.25 crore, but the club should’ve chosen some other batters who have been outstanding in the T20 format in recent months instead.
Here are five players that should have been acquired instead of Heinrich Klaasen by SRH.
Number 1. Dasun Shanaka
Image Source – Twitter
Dasun Shanaka created a name for himself as a captain, leading Sri Lanka to the Asia Cup championship after an eight-year absence, and as a batter, with several key innings in high-pressure games. Given his potential, the Sunrisers Hyderabad should have purchased him in the mini-auction. But, as luck would have it, no other team was interested in him. That, my friends, may have been a major wasted chance for the Sunrisers. He may have been a significant addition to the squad because of his all-around ability. Consider the must-win match against India, in which he hit a match-winning knock of 33 runs off 18 balls.
Instead of acquiring Heinrich Klaasen, the Sunrisers may have made a better decision by signing Shanaka for INR 50 lakh. Not to mention that they already have Glenn Phillips as their wicket-keeper-batter. By incorporating Shanaka into the club, they may have had a powerful all-around force for the forthcoming season.
Number 2. Travis Head
Image Source – Twitter
Hold on to your seats, because we’re about to get into some serious cricket conversation. Travis Head, a well-known Big Bash League player, has been a game-changer for the Adelaide Strikers with his power-hitting ability. He’s a force to be reckoned with, having scored 1,375 runs in 56 matches with a strike rate of 132.59. Last month’s IPL auction, on the other hand, told a different narrative. After 5 years, Head went under the hammer, but no franchise was interested in him. Despite his great record in the BBL, where he has almost ten years of experience, and for Australia, where he has played 17 games and scored 345 runs at a strike rate of 133.20.
This is when things become interesting. Head’s name was submitted with a basic price of INR 2 crore. And, in my opinion, that’s a steal. The Sunrisers Hyderabad might have easily signed him instead of Heinrich Klaasen, who has a comparable IPL record to Head. But, as the saying goes, certain things are better left to chance.
Number 3. Dawid Malan
Image Source – Twitter
Dawid Malan is well-known in T20 Internationals for his daring hitting approach. With his amazing batting talent, he has won many games for England in his six years of T20I experience. Malan has scored 1,748 runs in 55 appearances with a strike rate of 135.71.
With his strong T20I batting performances, the left-handed hitter took part in the 2023 mini-auction to play in the 16th season of the IPL. However, things did not go well for him since he was rejected by all of the purchasers. Earlier in 2022, the franchises also declined to bid for him in the major auction.
The Sunrisers put their trust in Klaasen during the occasion in Kochi. However, in Klaasen’s place, the franchise should have signed Malan, who has higher T20I batting numbers. Malan was outstanding with the bat in 2022, scoring 509 runs in 19 T20Is with a strike rate of 132.20.
