Captain: Pat Cummins
Coach: Daniel Vettori
Home Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad
Best Finishes: Champion (2009 as Deccan Chargers, 2016)
Last Season: Runner-up
Key Stats
1. Explosive Opening Pair
13.46 – The run rate of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head in T20s since 2024, the highest for any partnership with at least 350 runs.
The duo smashed 691 runs in IPL 2024 at an average of 49.35. SRH will rely on them again to set the tone as they push for their first title since 2016.
2. Klaasen’s Spin Destruction
163.16 – Heinrich Klaasen has maintained a strike rate of 163.16 against spinners in T20s since the start of 2022, second only to Australia’s Glenn Maxwell among batters with at least 1,000 runs against spin. He also boasts an impressive average of 41.52 — the fifth-best in this category. Klaasen’s ability to dominate spin will be key to Sunrisers Hyderabad’s success in the middle overs. He scored 224 runs at a strike rate of 182.11 against spinners last IPL and 264 runs at 191.30 in 2023.
3. Shami’s PowerPlay Dominance
21.25 – Since the start of 2022, Mohammed Shami has had the best PowerPlay bowling average in the IPL among bowlers with at least 10 wickets in this phase. Only Trent Boult (32) has taken more PowerPlay wickets than Shami (28) during this period. With most of its other bowlers excelling in different phases, Sunrisers Hyderabad will rely on Shami for early breakthroughs. The PowerPlay economy rate in Ahmedabad since 2023 stands at 8.38, while Hyderabad, Shami’s new home base, sees a slight rise to 9.16. It will be interesting to see how Cummins utilises him in these conditions.
Predicted Playing XI
Top Order
– Travis Head
– Abhishek Sharma
– Ishan Kishan
Middle Order and All-Rounders
– Nitish Kumar Reddy
– Heinrich Klaasen
– Abhinav Manohar
– Pat Cummins
Bowlers
– Harshal Patel
– Mohammed Shami
– Rahul Chahar
– Adam Zampa
Impact Player: Sachin Baby / Simarjeet Singh
Final Thoughts
Sunrisers Hyderabad has an explosive top order and a reliable bowling unit, but can it maintain consistency throughout IPL 2025?