SRH can be compared to New Zealand in World Cups. No, it’s not just because of the presence of a calm head like Kane Williamson, although that might be of great help. It’s also because, like New Zealand, no one gives them a chance at the starting of the tournament. Yet, much like the Kiwis, year on year they make the most out of their resources and make it to the playoffs.
In fact, David Warner even said so after their heartbreaking loss to DC which led to their ouster in IPL 2020. He said that he was proud of his team for coming this far in the tournament after no one gave them a chance. There’s one problem with this argument though, which is that unlike International teams like New Zealand which have a smaller pool of talent to choose from, SRH has the exact same purse as that of a Mumbai Indians. Therefore, nothing is stopping them from putting together a better squad.
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With that in mind, here are 3 players SRH can release to free up their purse to bolster their Indian batting;
1) Fabian Allen – With Warner, Williamson and Rashid already fixed in the XI, there is spot only for 1 overseas player. If not Bairstow, then SRH have options like Jason Holder and Mohammed Nabi who will get the nod before Fabian Allen. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that even in case of an injury, he gets a game.
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2) Billy Stanlake – Big Billy Stanlake is an out and out quick bowler and while he has the potential to be picked as the 4th overseas player, it will not be good for the Orange army’s balance. With there already being plenty of very good Indian Pacers, SRH is unlikely to pick him in the playing XI.
3) Siddharth Kaul – Kaul has done a brilliant job for SRH in the past. However, unfortunately, he’s past his prime now and with the discovery of T Natarajan, one can hardly see him getting a game. The likes of Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Basil Thampi are likely to get a game ahead of him. Therefore him being the 6th Indian pace bowling option means that even a couple of injuries will not be enough for him to get a game.