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The SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) lost to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2024 final on May 26. The SRH players had a forgettable night, as no batter was able to score big, and they were bowled out for 113. In response, KKR had no issues, as they chased down the target with eight wickets in hand and 57 balls remaining.
Nevertheless, the Hyderabad-based franchise had a season to remember, and the brand of cricket they played impressed everyone. They broke several records, like scoring the highest ever T20 total and winning the match by the most number of balls remaining while chasing a target of 150 or more in IPL cricket.
Now, with the mega auction coming up next year, SRH will look to continue building their squad around their captain Pat Cummins. In addition, the SunRisers will be having trouble deciding which player to retain following a great season. On that note, in this article, we will look at five players that SRH should retain after IPL 2024.
5 players SRH must retain after IPL 2024
#1 Pat Cummins
After a successful first season as captain, Pat Cummins is likely to continue to lead SRH in the next season as well. The Australian World Cup-winning captain did a decent job with his tactics and decisions, which saw SRH play the IPL final for the first time since 2018.
Not only that, Cummins remains the leading pacer for the franchise. The right-arm bowler took 18 wickets in 16 matches this season. SRH fans will hope that Cummins will continue to create his magic and bring glory to Hyderabad next season.
#2 Travis Head
Travis Head has made his reputation as a big-match player. Though he didn’t perform as per his standards in the playoffs, he played a huge role in taking his team to the IPL final. Head scored 567 runs in 15 matches at an average of 40.5 and a strike of 191.5.
Head, along with Abhishek Sharma, changed the fortunes of SRH. The Australian batter attacked the opponent bowlers from ball one and continued to play fearlessly. Head also scored a century in the tournament, along with four fifties, and is likely to be retained by the SRH franchise after such a successful season.
#3 Abhishek Sharma
The young Indian batter had a breakout IPL 2024 season. Abhishek Sharma went berserk and played some brilliant innings this season. The left-handed batter never played more than 30 balls in an inning and still scored 484 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 204.2.
Abhishek also won the award for most sixes in the season — 42. Still young, SRH will be looking to invest more in Abhishek. The 23-year-old also offers left-arm spin bowling, as he showed his skills in the match against the Rajasthan Royals. Abhishek is a complete package and is likely to be retained by the franchise.
#4 Nitish Reddy
SRH played an attacking brand of cricket throughout the season. However, there were a few moments when they lost early wickets, and that was the time when young Nitish Reddy stepped up for his team.
The emerging player of the tournament showed he can become a great all-rounder. The young batter scored 303 runs in 13 games, with two half-centuries to his name. He also bowled decently whenever given the opportunity and picked up three wickets. Nitish has shown his potential to be a player to watch out for and is likely to be retained by the franchise ahead of the next auction.
#5 Heinrich Klassen
Arguably, one of the finest white-ball players going around the world, Heinrich Klassen continued to showcase his class in the IPL 2024. The Proteas batter has been one of the finest for SRH over the last couple of years and is a complete match-winner.
The keeper-batter scored 479 runs in 16 matches with a strike rate of 171. With the brand of cricket that SRH showed, Klassen is a perfect fit for the franchise. He also hit four fifties and struck 38 maximums in the season. Klassen has been the go-to man for Hyderabad in the last two seasons, and there’s every possibility the South African will be seen playing for SRH next season as well.
