(Cricket news) SRH are probably the dark horses of the IPL this season. Captain Kane Williamson isn’t around anymore and Aiden Markram is the new skipper. However he will not be available for the start of the tournament along with fellow South Africans Marco Jansen and Heinrich Klaasen. Their unavailability will be a big problem for SRH but the fans will be hoping that they can do well. Mayank Agarwal who was PBKS captain last season is likely to captain the side in Markram’s absence.

SRH ideal playing XI for IPL 2023 – 

Openers: Mayank Agarwal & Abhishek Sharma

Mayank Agarwal was bought in the auction for 8.25 crore by SRH. He has had far too many average seasons in the IPL. Now will be the perfect time for him at a new franchise to breakthrough in this tournament. Abhishek Sharma has shown glimpses of his quality but now SRH need him to step up and perform to his maximum ability.

Middle order: Rahul Tripathi, Harry Brook, Aiden Markram & Glenn Phillips 

Rahul Tripathi has been playing T20Is for India which is an experience which can make him even better for SRH. Harry Brook was the big money buy and he is coming in with a lot of expectations. Aiden Markram will lead the side but he isn’t available for the first few games due to national duty. Heinrich Klaasen is also not available which is why SRH might have to play with just 3 foreign players. Glenn Phillips will keep wickets and play an important role lower down the order.

All-rounder: Washington Sundar 

Washington Sundar has been on the bench or out of the squad for India. He has had his fair share of injuries but now he is fit and will be keen to have an impact. SRH will be counting on him as the premium all-rounder in their side.

Seamers: Marco Jansen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik & T. Natarajan

Marco Jansen will come into the line-up later as he is also unavailable for the first few matches. Adil Rashid or Akeal Hosein are likely to replace him in the line-up. Bhuvneshwar Kumar with the new ball will be looking to roll back the years. He hasn’t played for India since the T20 World Cup and he also didn’t get a central contract. Bhuvi will be keen to show that he has still got it.

Natarajan has played all three formats for India but since his injury he has been out of the picture. The left arm seamer will be looking to show his worth once again. Umran Malik with his express pace will be very deadly as usual. He has a lot more experience now with India and the speedster will definitely be keen to leave a mark for SRH.

Bench: Abdul Samad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kartik Tyagi, Heinrich Klaasen, Adil Rashid, Mayank Markande, Vivrant Sharma, Samarth Vyas, Sanvir Singh, Upendra Yadav, Mayank Dagar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akeal Hosein, Anmolpreet Singh.

Also read: Delhi Capitals ideal playing XI for IPL 2023