Indian T20 League 2021 will kick start from April and Hyderabad is ready for the second title. The franchise last won the title in 2016 when they defeated Bangalore in the final. Since then, they also appeared in the final of the 2018 season but lost to Chennai in the final. In the previous edition, Hyderabad defeated Bangalore in the eliminator game but lost to Delhi in the second qualifier. Hyderabad is one of the consistent sides of the Indian T20 League in the last 5-6 years. They are the playoff contenders for the season 2021 but Warner would look to break the title drought this year. Hyderabad was the only side that didn’t invest much in this year’s auction and showed faith on their original squad. Let’s analyze their preparation for the Indian T20 League 2021.
Performance in last three seasons:
Hyderabad’s performance in the last three seasons is pretty nice but they missed out the glory at the last moment. In 2018, they made it into the final after securing the top position in the table but lost to Chennai, courtesy of Watson’s century. In 2019 and 2020, Delhi broke their campaign with a success in eliminator and second qualifier game.
Team after auction 2021
Mini-auction in February was just a simple event for Hyderabad considering their purse value. They picked some random players in this auction. They picked Kedar Jadhav who had a weak campaign with Chennai in the last two years. Hyderabad was looking for a solid batsman in the middle-order and Jadhav could be a good pick. Hyderabad also boosted their spin-attack and picked Afghanistani spinner Mujeeb who had great numbers in the shorter format of cricket. Another notable buy was J Suchith who might be a handy pick.
Here’s the full squad for Indian T20 League 2021:
David Warner (c), Kane Williamson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Sreevats Goswami (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Priyam Garg, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Virat Singh, Jason Roy, Jason Holder, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T. Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Jagadeesha Suchith, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman
How overseas players stand
Overseas players play an important role to find success in Indian T20 League and this line stands high in the case of Hyderabad. David Warner and Rashid Khan both carried this franchise on their shoulders. Jonny Bairstow was an ideal pick in the opening slot but Warner looked for Saha last season. Their main issue is to pick four overseas players in the playing XI and picking Holder at the midway of the season last year gave another confusion to the side. Warner, Williamson, and Rashid Khan are the pillars of this franchise. They went for Mujeeb to provide the stability to Rashid in middle-overs. If they do so, Holder will be dropped who performed high with the bat and ball. Mitchell Marsh opted himself out but Hyderabad got Jason Roy who might be used in top-order to use Bairstow at number four. Mohammad Nabi is also there but his chances to feature in the playing XI is pretty low.
How the Indian players stand
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the big name in Indian players and he will have the big responsibility to provide breakthroughs with the new ball. Sandeep Sharma bowls very well in powerplay and Natarajan is crucial in death-overs. The Indian pace-attack is pretty strong for Hyderabad. Manish Pandey had a good season with the bat and he is the reliable player to bat in middle-order. Priyam Garg and Abhishek Sharma impressed in their debut season last year. Shahbaz Nadeem is also a handy pick and he might be a handy pick to bowl in middle-overs. Kedar Jadhav has been included and he can get the nod in middle-overs. Vijay Shankar didn’t feature much but Warner shows faith in him with his capability with bat and ball. Khaleel Ahmed and Siddarth Kaul are the other two pacers to take the role anytime in case of injury.
Weakness of Hyderabad and how they can overcome these
Hyderabad had a big issue figuring out their four overseas players. Warner and Rashid are permanent but Bairstow and Williamson will be rotated according to the plan. Top-order is relying more on Warner and middle-order lack a quality Indian player. Jadhav can solve this issue with Manish Pandey. Hyderabad also lacks a finisher in the end who can accelerate the runs. Holder might take that role but then, Bairstow will be dropped. They have a strong bowling unit and they somehow require one extra-spin option among Indian players. Hyderabad has to execute the plan according to the pitch.
Pitch command as per the new schedule
Hyderabad will not play at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium as per the new schedule and it will slightly hurt their goals considering their home record. They have to pick players according to the pitch. Hyderabad will play in Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, and Bangalore. They can take advantage of spin at Chennai and Kolkata. Their first five matches will be played at Chennai which favours spin. They have a good pace-attack which can take advantage in Delhi.
Possible XI
David Warner (c), Saha (wk), Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Priyam Garg, Vijay Shankar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T. Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma
