IPL 2022: Muttiah Muralitharan Explains Why SRH Bought Nicholas Pooran At The Mega Auction

Sunrisers Hyderabad went big behind Nicholas Pooran as they roped him in for a whopping 10.75 crores at the IPL 2022 mega auction. Given that he had a forgetful IPL 2021, SRH bidding so high for the southpaw took everyone by surprise. The franchise acquired 20 players to add to the three that had already been retained to complete a 23-member squad ahead of the new season.

A few days after the auction, Muttiah Muralitharan, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s spin bowling coach explained the rationale behind going hard for Nicholas Pooran in the mega auction. He said that they wanted to go for Ishan Kishan but with the price escalating, had to settle for Pooran in the end. Kishan was bagged by Mumbai Indians for a whopping 15.25 crores.

“We initially wanted to buy Kishan. But once his bid crossed our budget, we were forced to look for alternatives. Yes, [Jonny] Bairstow was available, but we had doubts on whether he would be available for the entire season.

“We wanted an international wicketkeeper who would be available for all the games, so we thought Pooran was the right choice once Kishan slipped away,” Muralitharan told Sportskeeda in an interview.

When asked about Pooran’s form, Muralitharan said that they are optimistic about it. The southpaw had a memorable T20I series against India scoring 184 runs in three games with back to back fifties. He played with a sense of purpose and responsibility which was a welcome change in his overall game.

We Believe He Will Do Well For Us: SRH Bowling Coach Muttiah Muralitharan On Nicholas Pooran

“We believe that he’ll do well for us. And the fact that he was sold for such a high price proves that many other franchises desperately wanted him in their squads. Surely, we’re not the only ones,” he added.

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