Aakash Chopra has recently identified four potential players who may be retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auctions. The chosen players are Travis Head, Pat Cummins, Heinrich Klaasen and Abhishek Sharma.
In an unexpected twist, Chopra did not include the experienced seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar in this list. Bhuvneshwar has been a long-time associate of Sunrisers Hyderabad and has achieved much of his IPL success with the franchise.
Bhuvneshwar has served as a key wicket-taking option for Sunrisers over the years. He has been highly effective with the new ball and is also useful in death overs. The 34-year-old currently ranks as the fourth-highest wicket-taker in IPL history.
While discussing SRH’s possible retentions on a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra expressed his thoughts on the quartet set to be retained.
He stated, “They will retain Travis Head, Pat Cummins, Heinrich Klaasen, and Abhishek Sharma. I think these four should be retained because you cannot let them go anywhere. They have a destructive team. Both left-handed openers come and hit sixes and then Heinrich Klaasen comes and destroys.”
All four players enjoyed outstanding performances during the IPL 2024 season. Head and Abhishek formed a revolutionary opening pair while Heinrich Klaasen showcased his destructive batting in the middle order. Skipper Pat Cummins also excelled in his leadership role, steering SRH to the final.
However the former India opener excluded Aiden Markram from this selection. Another surprise omission was Bhuvneshwar Kumar who has been with the franchise for over a decade.
Chopra remarked, “Aiden Markram – how many overseas will you be able to keep? Don’t know what rule is going to come about the number of overseas that can be retained. They will definitely try to retain these three or four names. I don’t think you will retain Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) because it’s a three-year game. I feel the auction and retention are going to be very interesting this time.”
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been a pivotal figure in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s success throughout the years. In 2016, he clinched the Purple Cap by taking 23 wickets and played an integral role in helping Sunrisers win the IPL title that season.
