Former South African stalwart AB de Villiers believes that SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) has assembled a formidable squad capable of clinching victory in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. AB de Villiers expressed his opinion that even before the auction, SRH had a squad with several match-winners, and the addition of players like Pat Cummins, Travis Head, and Wanindu Hasaranga during the auction has further strengthened their team.
SRH made significant buys during the IPL 2024 auction, securing the services of Pat Cummins for ₹20.50 crore who became the first player ever to break the 20 crore mark in the IPL, Travis Head for ₹6.8 crore, and Wanindu Hasaranga for ₹1.5 crore.
In a post-IPL 2024 auction analysis of the SunRisers Hyderabad squad, AB de Villiers said getting a spinner of Wanindu Hasaranga’s caliber for just ₹1.5 crore was a daylight steal.
“One of the biggest steals of the IPL. Wanindu Hasaranga, the Sri Lankan leg-spinner for ₹1.5 crore. That guy wins games. Every second game he plays, he does something special. This team was one of my favorite squads last season. They have only added to the squad with Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Unadkat, Hasaranga,” said AB de Villiers.
Watch out for SRH in IPL 2024- AB de Villiers
De Villiers made a bold claim that SRH who finished last in the last season can go all the way this time around. The former batter said,
“That’s a team that can win the IPL. I am not going to tell you that they will win the IPL. But, SunRisers Hyderabad for IPL 2024, watch out.”
Having made their debut in the 2013 season, the Hyderabad-based franchise has clinched the IPL title only once, achieving glory in 2016. However, their recent performances have seen them bow out in the league stage in the last three editions of the tournament.
Aiden Markram has got a very good leadership brain- AB de Villiers
The addition of Australia’s World Cup-winning captain Pat Cummins to SunRisers Hyderabad has sparked speculation among experts and fans regarding the possibility of Cummins taking over the captaincy from Aiden Markram. Despite this, De Villiers has voiced his support for the South African batter, expressing confidence in Markram to continue leading the team.
“I would still go with Aiden Markram as captain. I’ve played with this guy before. He’s got a very good leadership brain on his head. I think he’ll do better this season and has a very good squad to work with. I don’t think the eight overseas players being big stars is a problem. They have a very good squad, well-balanced. I think they are going to make the knockouts this year,” the former Proteas captain concluded.
SunRisers Hyderabad had a dreadful IPL 2023 season, facing a series of setbacks as they managed to secure only four wins and 10 losses out of 14 league matches marking a disappointing campaign.