Sunrisers Hyderabad-Preparing for Another Dynamite Season in 2025

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) is gearing up for yet another adrenaline-packed season in 2025, after their phenomenal comeback in 2024. With a revitalized team, a aggressive strategy of batting, and judicious player additions, the team is hell-bent on going higher. Last season, they finished a long stint of inconsistency owing to the skipper-ship of Pat Cummins and Travis Head's firepower. This season, with crucial retentions and some important pickups, SRH is poised to unleash its brutal brand of cricket once again.

Revamping the Squad for a Stronger Future

In recent years, SRH has had a makeover. Since their split with David Warner, the team couldn't find their identity. But things changed with the 2024 season, when the team adopted a fearless, hard-hitting batting style. With Cummins already having a good relationship with head coach Daniel Vettori, he was instrumental in getting SRH back to the forefront. Their batting aggression, particularly during the PowerPlay, left rivals in awe and took the team to their first final in 2018.

Going into 2025, SRH have retained six players of importance, four of their destructive top five in tow, signifying that they are sticking to their aggressive brand. They also did a bit of big-ticket signings, Mohammed Shami and Harshal Patel stepping in for Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan, such that expertise continues to drive their bowling unit.

SRH arguably has the strongest top order in the tournament. The return of last season's key performers guarantees continuity, and the signing of Ishan Kishan might take their attacking game to the next level. With Kishan pairing up with Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen, and Nitish Reddy, SRH boasts a top five that can tear apart any bowling line-up on its day.

Their game, centered on maximizing the PowerPlay and aggressive intent, is likely to persist. The flat Hyderabad tracks are the ideal platform for SRH's big-hitting style, as witnessed in their strong home shows last season.

Ishan Kishan comes into the season with a score to settle. With his spot in the Indian team in all formats lost and the 2024 T20 World Cup team missing out, Kishan is seeking vengeance. A brilliant IPL season might return him to the selectors' list before the 2026 T20 World Cup. SRH has been fanciful about his ability for a long time, having pursued him vigorously in the 2022 auction before finally getting him last year. Now, the franchise is likely to provide him with the ideal platform to display his explosive batting towards the top of the order.

Abhinav Manohar can prove to be one of the biggest surprises of the season. The Karnataka batter, who can clear boundaries on a whim, has been at the periphery of IPL glory. Following a remarkable stint in the Maharaja T20 League, where he hit 57 sixes and was second on the run charts, Manohar gained considerable attention at the IPL auction. His performances in domestic cricket, such as a remarkable 79 off 42 balls in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final, indicate that he is ready to play a regular role in the middle order. SRH's agressive ideology works hand-in-hand with his batting approach, thus making him an apt selection as a finisher.

Squad Overview 2025

Complete Squad:

Pat Cummins, Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy, Ishan Kishan, Mohammed Shami, Harshal Patel, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Chahar, Adam Zampa, Simarjeet Singh, Eshan Malinga, Jaydev Unadkat, Wiaan Mulder, Kamindu Mendis, Zeeshan Ansari, Atharva Taide, Sachin Baby, Aniket Verma

Best XI (As Things Stand):

Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Abhinav Manohar, Sachin Baby/Aniket Verma, Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel, Adam Zampa, Mohammed Shami, Rahul Chahar/Simarjeet Singh

SRH has already countered injury worries by signing Wiaan Mulder as a replacement for Brydon Carse. Pat Cummins, who sat out the last Champions Trophy with an ankle injury, is now fully fit and available to captain the side from the first match itself. Another important player, Nitish Reddy, who had suffered a side strain during the England tour in January in the T20I series, has recovered and will contribute to the team this season.

SRH's fixture schedule offers them a good chance of making a strong beginning. Five of their first eight games are at home in Hyderabad, a ground where they won six out of seven games last year. They start their campaign with two consecutive home games, before a brief sojourn in Visakhapatnam. Under high-scoring conditions that would suit their explosive batting style, SRH would aim to lay the foundation in the early days of the tournament.

Travel is comparatively light in the initial half of the season, with just one of their away games being played in Mumbai. Their last two league matches, however, are both away – first against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Chinnaswamy, where SRH had recorded a record 287/3 last season, and then in Lucknow, where they didn't play in 2024.

SRH’s home ground was one of the highest-scoring venues last season, with a scoring rate of 9.99 runs per over, second only to Delhi’s 10.76. The impact player rule, combined with SRH’s aggressive batting strategy, suggests that high-scoring games will be a common theme once again in 2025. Opposing bowlers will find it extremely difficult to contain SRH’s powerful batting unit on these batting-friendly pitches.

The Road Ahead for SRH

With a well-balanced team, a set aggressive style, and a combination of experience and youth, SRH is ready to kick off a blockbuster 2025 season. The team's capacity to continue their fearless batting along with enhancing their death bowling will be decisive in their pursuit of the title. If their star players perform as anticipated, SRH may be serious contenders to win the trophy this year. It will be an exciting season for the fans as the Sunrisers seek to capitalize on their incredible comeback and push their game to a higher level.