IPL 2022 Mega Auction: 4 Players That Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Might Retain

The IPL 2022 season will be a 10-team event instead of 8, as two new franchises are going to join the T20 tournament. A mega auction will also be conducted ahead of the tournament, which will witness the transfer of many players from their current teams. However, franchises will also be given an option to keep some of their favorite players.

Some reports suggest that each franchise will be allowed to retain 4 players in the squad during IPL 2022 mega auction. These 4 players can a combination of 2 overseas and 2 domestic players or 1 overseas of 3 domestic players.

Sunrisers Hyderabad was the team that went through the least changes in IPL 2021 auction. The IPL 2016 champions SRH only bought 3 players during the auction and retained almost all the players in the squad. However, this turned out to be a bad decision as the team lost 6 matches out of 7 and held the last 8^th spot in the points table.

With such a poor show in the current season, the franchise will definitely opt to pick new players in IPL 2022 mega auction. However, there are few crucial players that the franchise might retain. Here we talk about 4 players that Sunrisers Hyderabad might retain in IPL 2022 mega auction.

IPL 2022 Mega Auction: 4 Players That Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Might Retain

Kane Williamson

After Sunrisers Hyderabad lost 5 games out of 6 under the leadership of David Warner in IPL 2021, Kane Williamson was promoted as the new skipper of the team. The New Zealand player has successfully led the team in the 2018 edition in the absence of David Warner. The New Zealand skipper is one of the top batsmen in international cricket currently. Since the 2018 edition, the right-handed batsman has executed a consistent batting performance for the team.

He was the highest run-scorer in IPL 2018 with 735 runs in 17 matches. In IPL 2019, he scored 156 runs in 9 matches. In the 2019 season, the 30-year-old mustered 317 runs in 12 matches.

In IPL 2021, Williamson scored 128 runs in 4 matches along with an unbeaten half-century in one match. After New Zealand winning ICC World Test Championship 2019-21, Kane Williamson has proved himself to be a powerful skipper and Sunrisers Hyderabad will surely want him to led the franchise in the next season.

Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan is another overseas player that Sunrisers Hyderabad might retain during IPL 2022 mega auction. With his brilliant googly deliveries, the Afghanistan spinner is one of the best spinners in T20 format. Since his IPL debut in the 2017 season, the right-arm spinner has been a consistent performer in IPL.

He picked 17, 21, 17, and 20 wickets in IPL 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 respectively. In IPL 2021, in spite of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s poor show, Rashid Khan bowled effectively by scalping 10 wickets in 7 matches at an economy of 6.14.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is another player that Sunrisers Hyderabad might retain in IPL 2022. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the most experienced domestic player in the squad. He is a regular member of the national side in the limited-overs format. Even in IPL, the right-arm pacer has been quite impressive over the years.

The 31-year-old pacer picked 23 wickets and 26 wickets in IPL 2016 and IPL 2017 respectively, emerging as the highest wicket-taker in both seasons. So far, he has scalped 139 wickets in 126 matches in the Indian Premier League. In spite of the mega auction next year, the SRH franchise will aim to retain one powerful pacer in the squad and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be the best option for the same.

T Natarajan

T Natarajan is another domestic player that Sunrisers Hyderabad might retain in IPL 2022. With his ability to bowl yorkers effectively, T Natarajan came to the limelight in IPL 2020. He led the pace attack for the team in the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who got injured during the last season. Natarajan picked 16 wickets in 16 matches last season at an economy of 8.02.

With his impressive performance in IPL 2020, the left-arm pacer also earned a national call-up and played during India vs Australia series last year. Natarajan also played few games during India vs England ODI and T20I series in March this year. The 29-year-old is an emerging pacer for India and Sunrisers Hyderabad very well know that releasing him out of the squad will be a bad decision.