Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2023 due to a hamstring injury. This is a major setback for SRH, who have only won two out of seven matches and are currently in ninth place in the points table. Sundar’s absence comes at a crucial time, as he showed signs of regaining form in their last match against Delhi Capitals (DC).
On that note, let’s look at 3 possible replacements for Sundar they can consider:
1) Sanjay Yadav can replace Washington Sundar
Sanjay Yadav, Sundar’s Tamil Nadu teammate, was part of the Mumbai Indians (MI) last year and won the Player of the Tournament award in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) with 452 runs and impressive bowling. Despite this, he was released by MI and went unsold in the IPL 2023 auction. SRH could benefit from Sanjay’s skills as a spin hitter and left-handed floater. Although he is a left-arm spinner, unlike Sundar, Aiden Markram’s presence as an off-spinner should not be a concern.
2) Tanush Kotian
Tanush Kotian, an off-spinning all-rounder from Mumbai, has been a standout young prospect in domestic cricket. He won Player of the Match in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022-23 final with three wickets and the winning runs. Known for his composure under pressure, Kotian has impressive statistics across formats, including a T20 economy rate of 6.35 and a first-class batting average of 43.33. He could be a suitable replacement for Sundar in SRH.
3) Shreyas Gopal
Shreyas Gopal, a former SRH player with extensive domestic experience, had successful IPL seasons with Rajasthan Royals (RR) in 2018 and 2019. SRH could consider him an option, given his previous experience with the team. Gopal showed strong batting form in the recent domestic season for Karnataka and is also a skilled leg-spinner. His signing would provide a backup for Mayank Markande, a key player for SRH in IPL 2023.