Can the runners-up of IPL 2024 turn the tides in the upcoming 18th edition of this prestigious silverware? To win this, they need to revamp a few things, especially now that the IPL 2025 auction rules are in front of everyone, with six retentions allowed per team. Speaking about SRH, if we look at how they performed in the last IPL, four possible names, who did an amazing job, could be on their retention list before any others. But who are those big names that Sunrisers Hyderabad will never want to lose? Let’s see which four players SRH may retain ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Pat Cummins
The first name this Orange Army will look to bring back is their last season’s captain, Pat Cummins, and several reasons support this. Primarily, we could see Cummins in an SRH jersey again because, after a decent amount of time, SRH has found stability in their core under his leadership. He knows which players can deliver for them. The Australian pacer’s biggest contribution was last season, where his tactics led the team to the finals. We can certainly observe that he instilled an aggressive attitude in SRH, which was previously lacking, as this franchise was known for its defensive approach to their game. Cummins’ entry changed everything, and we may see him leading the pack again.
Travis Head
As mentioned earlier, SRH was missing an aggressive approach initially, and this superstar batter came as a magician and did his magic with the bat. Currently, in world cricket, he is the most dangerous batter, destroying bowlers. Head, who scored 567 runs last season with an unbelievable strike rate of 191.55, should be on SRH’s retention list. If they don’t retain him, it is going to be a big blunder.
Abhishek Sharma
Now, speaking about one more magician who impressively collaborated with Travis Head, especially in the first 10 overs of almost every game in IPL 2024, Abhishek Sharma scored 484 runs with a strike rate of 204.22, which is far from normal for most viewers, showing just how destructive this batter is. His dynamic approach in each game was one of the reasons the team won most of their matches comfortably, whether it was posting over 250 runs in 20 overs or chasing and winning by 10 wickets. That’s what the Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma duo did, and SRH will surely not want to break up this pair. The chances are very high that Sharma will be retained by the camp.
Heinrich Klassen
Can we expect one more foreign name? If yes, then who could it be? South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen’s impactful performances in IPL 2024 were evident with a total of 479 runs, including four half-centuries that came in quick time. It’s fair to say he aggressively sent many deliveries out of the park last season, coming down the order and finishing things off. That’s what makes Klaasen unique, as there is a need for T20 entertainers, and Klaasen is certainly one of them. We can expect him to return to the team and perform fluently once again.
