Just a year ago, Sunrisers Hyderabad were playing in the IPL final. Now with only three wins in ten games, they are languishing at the bottom end of the table.
Their playoff hopes are hanging by a thread and their net run rate is in the negatives. To make matters worse, the franchise has now had to make yet another change to their squad - this time bringing in 22-year-old Harsh Dubey after injury ruled out R Smaran.
Smaran had himself been a replacement for Adam Zampa, who withdrew earlier in the season. But with his campaign cut short, SRH have turned to one of domestic cricket’s breakout names of the year and perhaps a rare bright spark in a season that’s gone off track.
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Who is Harsh Dubey?
Harsh Dubey is a 22-year-old left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder from Vidarbha who made headlines earlier this year for his historic Ranji Trophy performance. He picked up 69 wickets in the 2024-25 season - the most ever by a bowler in a single edition.
He overtook Ashutosh Aman's previous record of 68 set in 2018-19. He also scored 476 runs - helping Vidarbha lift the trophy and earning himself the player of the tournament award.
While he has been a giant in red-ball cricket, Dubey’s white-ball numbers remain modest. In List A matches, he has taken 21 wickets from 20 innings at an average of 34.66.
In T20s, he has taken nine wickets from 16 innings with an economy of 6.78. But with his Ranji form and growing reputation, SRH have signed him for ₹30 lakh - his base price from the last auction.
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Harsh Dubey joins SRH after Adam Zampa’s replacement is injured
Dubey’s call-up came after Karnataka batter R Smaran was ruled out due to injury. Smaran had replaced Zampa earlier in the season but now becomes the latest name on a growing list of unavailable players in SRH’s disrupted campaign.
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What's next for Sunrises Hyderabad?
With four games left, SRH can reach a maximum of 14 points. But even that may not be enough, given their current net run rate of -1.192. It is the lowest among all teams this season.
Unless multiple teams collapse above them, their playoff dreams are all but over. For now, they return home to face Delhi Capitals on Monday evening.