SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) title winners, have had an adventurous journey in the tournament history. Earlier known as Deccan Chargers Hyderabad, the team won the first IPL title in the year 2009 under the captainship of then captain Adam Gilchrist. Later the team was dissolved in 2012 and was taken over by Sun TV Network in 2013, with a new name - Sunrisers Hyderabad.

At IPL Auction this year, the SunRisers Hyderabad decided to retain the flamboyant Australian opener David Warner, and Indian bowling spearhead, Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The Sunrisers decided to release Shikhar Dhawan who had captained the side in the absence of Kane Williamson, who was also released by SRH. They spent Rs 58.35 crore from the available purse of Rs 59 crore on 23 players. The first Indian to score a century in the IPL, Manish Pandey was their costliest purchase for Rs.11 crores.

The Hyderabad franchise seems to be one of the most-settled sides in the IPL this year. With David Warner, Manish Pandey, Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, Yusuf Pathan, Deepak Hooda in their batting ranks, the SRH team will look to canter on their opponents this season.

Also, the Orange Army's success will be dependent on all-round skills of Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan and West Indies' Carlos Brathwaite. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will the leader of the bowling pack as he will have support from Chris Jordan, Basil Thampi, T Natarajan, and Rashid Khan. The Afghanistan player, Rashid Khan, who has done wonders in T20 leagues around the globe would be one of the players to watch out for in 11th VIVO IPL.

SRH plays its home matches at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. Over the years, the Sun Network-owned franchise has been involved in a rivalry with both Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians.

SUNRISERS HYDERABAD FULL SQUAD FOR IPL 2018 [25 players]

David Warner (Captain), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Manish Pandey, Rashid Khan Arman, Shikhar Dhawan, Wriddhiman Saha, Siddarth Kaul, Deepak Hooda, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma, Kane Williamson, Carlos Brathwaite, Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Shreevats Goswami, Mohammad Nabi, Chris Jordan, Basil Thampi, T Natarajan, Sachin Baby, Bipul Sharma, Syed Mehdi Hasan, Ricky Bhui, and Tanmay Agarwal.

The SRH team has already been tipped off as one of the strong contenders of the IPL 2018 winners, this year. Their squad looks extremely strong on the paper and comprises of players who can win any match on their given day.

Will David Warner be able to repeat the feat what they achieved in IPL 2016? It will be enthralling to see where does the SRH campaign heads, this year. With IPL scheduled to begin on April 7, the Orange Army will be looking forward to winning the IPL trophy for the second time. Stay tuned with us for all the latest updates about Indian Premier League (IPL) and SunRisers Hyderabad.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 19, 2018 12:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).