HYDERABAD: For a side that has the likes of David Warner, Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson in its ranks, SunRisers Hyderabad are feared more for their bowling, one that is led by the perennially-consistent Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

In the last edition, the Orange Army defended one low total after the other to further solidify the notion that they have a near-perfect bowling attack. Though Bhuvneshwar played only 12 out of their 17 matches in 2018, the Punjab duo of Siddarth Kaul (21 wickets in 17 matches, economy of 8.28) and Sandeep Sharma (12 in 12 at 7.56) kept their pace attack rolling.

But despite Rashid Khan (21 in 17 at 6.73) being as stellar as he has been since his debut in 2017, their other spin option — Shakib Al Hasan (14 in 17 at 8) — turned out to be a weak link. 

Bowling coach Muttiah Muralitharan too acknowledged that they had “struggled” in that regard last season. “The pacers did extremely well, but when it came to spin, we struggled a bit. There were a few issues,” he said on Wednesday.

But considering how tactically proactive the SunRisers think-tank has been since their maiden title in 2016, this chink too was remedied during the trade-off window. They roped in left-arm orthodox options in the form of Shahbaz Nadeem and Abhishek Sharma. Though the U-19 all-rounder doesn’t have that much IPL experience under his belt (he debuted with Delhi Daredevils last season), Nadeem has 40 wickets in 61 matches at an economy of 7.36.  

“We’ve had a good bowling attack in the last three seasons. This year our spin attack has been strengthened,” explained Muralitharan. “This year will be better because there is a good balance between our pacers and spinners.”

Another fact that will augur well for SunRisers in this context is that Mohammad Nabi — whose off-spin services are used intermittently by them — had a good outing (including a four-for) during the Big Bash League last month.

Williamson to remain captain

Impressed by the way Williamson led the team to the final by scoring heavily last season, the SunRisers management has decided to stick with the Kiwi as skipper for the upcoming season, despite Warner coming back into their fold. Williamson and Guptill will join the squad on March 22.