Sunrisers Hyderabad, last year’s IPL finalists, shut down their defensive approach model and revamped their playing style, getting results in the last IPL edition by playing aggressive cricket under their fresh captain, Pat Cummins. Every player who represented this Orange Army delivered. However, with the mega auction coming, they won’t be able to retain the entire squad, as the IPL retention deadline is approaching fast. Franchises must submit their retention list by October 31st, allowing them to retain a total of 6 before the auction or if not then they can get them back via RTM.
To make things interesting, there are certain retention slabs where the first retention will get 18 crore, the second will get 14 crore, the third will see 11 crore, the fourth will receive 18 crore, and the fifth will get 14 crore. Uncapped players can receive a maximum of 4 crore. This costs a franchise a total of Rs 79 crore if they make all their 6 retentions. But the question is, which names can get the big price of 18 crore from the SRH camp, as there are clearly two spots for that? There are more than two deserving names in the SRH camp. See three big players, of which two could be retained by SRH at this hefty price.
Players SRH could retain at the price of Rs 18 crore
Heinrich Klaasen
The first name, and possibly one of the biggest names in the current SRH mix, is South African wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen, who could receive the hefty amount of 18 crore. Hints are already on the surface, with reports suggesting that SRH is willing to retain Heinrich Klaasen due to his consistent batting performances and ability to keep wickets, making him a dual-role player. He could be their top retention bid. But the interesting fact that has emerged is that they are offering him a price of 23 crore to secure his services, but publicly, they will list him under the 18 crore bracket. For now, nothing is confirmed, as there is still time to clarify their retention block, but surely Klaasen is one of the players whom SRH could retain at this price.
Pat Cummins
Last edition, the SRH skipper emerged as a true leader for the camp with his tactical captaincy. Apart from his captaincy, Cummins contributed heavily with the ball, taking charge whenever the team needed him the most, and he occasionally chipped in with the bat as well. SRH cannot ignore Pat Cummins, as he delivered the results they wanted. Aside from the final game against Kolkata Knight Riders, their entire campaign last season was rock solid, both with bat and ball, with Pat Cummins leading the pack. We may see Cummins once again, not only as a player but as captain, and given his reputation as a big-match winner, he could get a big salary from the Hyderabad franchise.
Travis Head
Aggressive batter Travis Head could also be in contention, alongside the big names mentioned above. The reason he could command a high price is his impressive batting for SRH and, more broadly, his performances for Australia and other teams. Head was a massive asset for SRH last season, consistently providing strong starts alongside Abhishek Sharma. Whenever SRH scored over 200 runs, it was usually due to the destructive batting by Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head in the first few overs. There’s no question about Head’s slogging ability, and with his big-match player reputation, he has a strong chance of rejoining the SRH team with a hefty price tag.
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