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Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) let go of their captain Kane Williamson ahead of the IPL auctions scheduled to happen on 23rd December. All the teams have finalized their retentions and the players have put their names up for the auction.
This will be an important auction for the Orange Army. They have the highest purse (₹42.25 crores), using which they have to fill 13 slots in this auction. A major chunk of SRH's purse was taken up by their former captain last year, who had a forgettable season with the bat - 216 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of just 93.
With him gone, they need another heavyweight for their batting line-up. Let's take a look at 3 batsmen who can prove a good replacement for Kane Williamson in SRH.
#1 Mayank Agarwal
Punjab Kings have released Mayank Agarwal, who was their captain in IPL 2022. He had a bad season, scoring just 196 runs in 12 innings at an average of 16 and a strike rate of 123. However, he can still be a very useful player in most IPL teams.
In the seasons prior to the last one, Agarwal was reasonably impactful. He scored over 850 runs in the 2020 and 2021 seasons at a strike rate of more than 150. He is generally a fast starter, something that will really help SRH's batting unit a lot.
A top order of Abhishek Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi, and Aiden Markram looks extremely potent on paper. This will also allow them to play an extra overseas player in the playing XI since Williamson does not take up a spot.
#2 Ben Stokes
England Test captain Ben Stokes has also put his name in the auction for the upcoming edition of the IPL. He was not part of the mega-event in the past two years owing to an injury in the first game of the 2021 season and prioritizing Test cricket during the 2022 edition.
Stokes has now retired from ODI cricket, saying that he wants to prioritize T20 leagues and Test cricket at this stage of his career.
Ben Stokes has set a base price of ₹2 crore for himself. He had an impressive season in 2020, scoring 285 runs in 8 innings at an average of 41 and a strike rate of 142. He was a crucial part of England's win against Pakistan in the recently concluded T20 World Cup final, where he anchored the run-chase brilliantly.
He is best suited to bat in the top order since he can make use of the field restrictions during the powerplay overs. If SRH eventually sign him, they will have three bowling options in the top four - Stokes, Sharma, and Markram. This gives the team a very good balance.
#3 Rassie van der Dussen
Rassie van der Dussen has emerged as one of the most stable anchor batsmen in the format over the last couple of years. He has a decent record in T20 internationals - 1044 runs in 36 innings at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 130.
Van der Dussen was released by the Rajasthan Royals, for whom he only played a couple of games last season. However, he can easily slot into the SRH top order. He is comfortable against high pace and is a solid player of spin bowling.
He also has a good understanding with his South African teammate Aiden Markram. The batting order of Abhishek, Van der Dussen, Tripathi, and Markram might work extremely well for SRH. The two Indian batters can take on spin, while the two overseas batters can counter quality pace.
