New-look Sunrisers Hyderabad packed with power and pace

Eighth. They won six games and lost eight, finishing below Kolkata Knight Riders on net run rate.

Abhishek Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram (capt), Harry Brook, Abdul Samad, Anmolpreet Singh, Glenn Phillips, Heinrich Klaasen, Upendra Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Vivrant Sharma, Sanvir Singh, Samarth Vyas, Mayank Dagar, Adil Rashid, Mayank Markande, Akeal Hosein, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen, Kartik Tyagi, Umran Malik, T Natarajan, Fazalhaq Farooqi

The three South African players in the squad - Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen and Heinrich Klaasen - are likely to join the team on April 3, after their ODI series against Netherlands. That means Sunrisers will have only five overseas players to pick from for their tournament opener against Rajasthan Royals on April 2.

Sunrisers have new leadership this year, having released last season's captain Kane Williamson ahead of the auction. Aiden Markram, who led Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the title in the inaugural SA20, will lead the Hyderabad franchise this year.

Sunrisers bought Mayank Agarwal to boost their top order, and in Harry Brook they signed one of the most exciting young players in the game. The 24-year-old has been earmarked for success across formats by his Test captain Ben Stokes and is expected to play a huge role in the middle order. He comes into his maiden IPL season with 2432 runs from 99 T20s at a strike rate of 148.32.

Brian Lara, who was the team's strategic advisor and batting coach in 2022, has replaced Tom Moody as head coach. While Dale Steyn (fast-bowling coach), Muthiah Muralidaran (spin-bowling coach) and Simon Helmot (assistant coach) retain their roles, Netherlands head coach Ryan Cook has been appointed the fielding coach. He replaces Hemang Badani, who has become the batting coach after performing the same role for the franchise at the SA20.

A top order of Mayank, Abhishek Sharma and Rahul Tripathi and a middle order that could feature Markram, Harry Brook and Glenn Phillips or Heinrich Klaasen gives Sunrisers great batting depth, especially when you add Washington Sundar and Jansen to the mix.

Sunrisers also have a strong Indian fast-bowling attack. Apart from the experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar, they have Umran Malik, T Natarajan and Kartik Tyagi. Add Jansen to the mix with Fazalhaq Farooqi in the reserves, and they have plenty of depth.

If Adil Rashid struggles to get a game, Washington, Markram and Abhishek become the main spin options in the team. They do have Mayank Markande in the wings, though.

Sunrisers' schedule is packed at the back end of the league stage. Their last four matches take place in the space of nine days - from May 13 to May 21.