A/N: Students won (I don't support CJP); Dharmendra Pradhan resigned. I am happy that finally there is some accountability, but what a sore loser, man. He didn't even apologise for what happened during his tenure, not when the NEET 2024 paper was leaked or in 2026. But well I would say he is only a part of the problem
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The morning newspapers were spread across the polished or wooden table in the private dining area of the ITC Kakatiya hotel. The sports sections screamed with aggressive black ink, feeding entirely off the timeline war that had erupted online the previous night.
"Captaincy Debate Intensifies"
"Questions Raised Over Dressing Room Culture"
"Selection Leak Sparks Controversy"
And across the centerfold of the leading daily, a massive, bold letterhead printed a single word: DICTATOR.
Siddanth Deva sat alone in the room, holding a cup of black coffee. He glanced at the newspapers, his expression blank. He pushed them aside. He did not care about the media noise.
He pulled a thick, leather-bound dossier to the center of the table. It contained the finalized squad list and the purse distributions for the Sunrisers Hyderabad 2018 campaign.
The mega auction held months prior had completely restructured the landscape of the league. Franchises were forced to release the majority of their players into the pool, tearing apart established dressing rooms. Building a balanced team required ruthless pragmatism, and Siddanth had given his priority list to the management about who he wants in the squad.
Prior to the auction, the Sunrisers management utilized a massive portion of their salary purse to lock down their core. Retaining Siddanth, David Warner, Rashid Khan, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar secured the spine of the team. During the auction itself, they successfully deployed their Right-To-Match card to keep Shikhar Dhawan in the orange jersey.
Opening the dossier, Siddanth reviewed the final players list given by SRH management.
PlayerRole Price
Retentions & RTM
Deva Allrounder ₹15.0 Cr
David Warner Batter ₹11.0 Cr
Bhuvneshwar Kumar Bowler ₹8.5 Cr
Rashid Khan Spinner ₹7.0 Cr
Shikhar Dhawan (RTM) Batter ₹5.2 Cr
Auction Purchases
Kane Williamson Batter ₹3.5 Cr
Shane Watson All-rounder ₹4.0 Cr
Wriddhiman Saha WK ₹5.0 Cr
Shubman Gill Batter ₹2.0 Cr
Siddarth Kaul Bowler ₹3.8 Cr
Mayank Markande Spinner ₹0.6 Cr
Dale Steyn Bowler ₹1.5 Cr
Mohammad Nabi All-rounder ₹1.0 Cr
Billy Stanlake Bowler ₹0.5 Cr
Khaleel Ahmed Bowler ₹3.0 Cr
T. Natarajan Bowler ₹0.4 Cr
Rahul Chahar Spinner ₹1.9 Cr
Abhishek Sharma All-rounder ₹0.6 Cr
Deepak Hooda All-rounder ₹3.0 Cr
Shreevats Goswami WK ₹1.0 Cr
Ricky Bhui Batter ₹0.2 Cr
Tanmay Agarwal Batter ₹0.2 Cr
Mehdi Hasan All-rounder ₹0.2 Cr
Basil Thampi Bowler ₹0.2 Cr
Arjun Tendulkar Bowler ₹0.8 Cr
However, the brutal reality of the open market had cost them dearly in other departments.
Siddanth turned a page, reviewing the list of departed players. The other franchises, having spent the last two seasons suffering against the suffocating Hyderabad bowling cartel, came into the auction determined to poach those assets.
Royal Challengers Bangalore engaged in a fierce bidding war, inflating Yuzvendra Chahal's price well beyond SRH's purse limit to snatch away the leg-spinner, along with local fast bowler Mohammed Siraj. Delhi Daredevils threw an astronomical sum to secure the left-arm swing of Trent Boult.
The most painful departure, however, occurred during the wicketkeeper set. Rajasthan Royals engaged in a ferocious bidding war for Sanju Samson. Siddanth had wanted to keep his young protégé. But as the price crossed eight crores and kept climbing toward nine, Management lowered their hands. Spending nearly a quarter of their remaining purse on a single batsman would have crippled their ability to rebuild the elite fast-bowling cartel that defined their franchise. He let Samson go.
Instead, management executed Siddanth backup plan perfectly, acquiring multi-dimensional players and raw, untainted talent to fill the gaps.
Finishing his coffee, he closed the leather folder, stood up, and walked down the quiet corridor toward the executive conference rooms.
The entire squad had already completed the mandatory initiation meeting the previous night, sharing dinner and welcoming the new faces into the franchise. Today was strictly reserved for the core leadership group. The tactical foundation for the season needed to be laid before the first net session began.
Pushing the heavy wooden doors open, Siddanth stepped into the conference room.
The coaching staff was already present. Tom Moody, the towering head coach, sat at the head of the long table, arranging his notes. VVS Laxman, the team mentor, was reviewing a pitch report on his tablet. Muttiah Muralitharan, the spin bowling coach, drank a cup of tea near the window. Sitting quietly near the center of the table was Kane Williamson.
"Good morning, Sid," Tom Moody greeted, looking up from his papers.
"Morning, Tom. VVS bhai, Murali sir," Siddanth nodded, taking the empty chair directly across from Williamson.
"We were just going over the final squad balance," Laxman said, placing his tablet flat on the table. "The auction gave us the flexibility we discussed. Khaleel Ahmed and T. Natarajan were excellent buys. They were brought in specifically to replace the left-arm angle we lost with Boult. And picking up Gill and Abhishek adds excellent depth to the domestic batting core."
"The talent is there," Moody agreed, leaning forward and resting his forearms on the table. "But we need to address the main problem immediately. We have a massive gap at the top of the order."
The room grew slightly quiet.
David Warner, the explosive Australian opener and a vital pillar of their franchise, was officially suspended by the cricket board for the entire 2018 season due to disciplinary issues originating from an international tour. Losing a player who consistently guaranteed six hundred runs a season was a devastating blow to any team.
"We need a partner for Shikhar," Moody stated pragmatically, tapping his pen against a notepad. "Without David, we lose our primary aggressor in the powerplay. We need someone who can maximize the first six overs while the field is up."
"We brought Shane Watson in for his experience," Laxman suggested, looking at the squad list. "Watson has opened the batting extensively in international T20s and previous IPL seasons. He has the power to clear the infield easily during the fielding restrictions. It seems like the most logical replacement."
Muralitharan nodded in agreement. "If Watson opens, he can set the tone. It allows the rest of the middle order to play their natural game."
Siddanth listened to the coaches. He looked at the names written on the whiteboard behind Moody.
"No," Siddanth said.
The single, calm word halted the discussion. The three coaches turned their attention to the captain.
"Watson is a fantastic striker of the ball," Siddanth explained, keeping his voice entirely level. "But he is also thirty-six years old. Expecting him to field for twenty overs in the extreme summer heat of Hyderabad, and then immediately walk out to open the batting against fresh fast bowlers is a massive risk. If his legs tire, he will struggle to convert ones into twos, which puts unnecessary pressure on Shikhar at the other end."
Williamson, sitting quietly, nodded slightly, already processing and agreeing with the pragmatic logic before Siddanth even finished.
"We bought Watson for middle-order hitting," Siddanth continued. "We need his power in the fifteenth over against the older ball, not the first over against the swinging ball."
"If Watson stays in the middle order," Moody frowned, looking at the available options, "who takes the opening slot? We don't have another dedicated, aggressive opener in the squad with enough experience to replace David's output."
"I will open," Siddanth stated simply.
A beat of silence fell over the conference room. Laxman blinked, momentarily stunned that the captain was dropping himself directly into the line of fire.
"You, Sid?" Laxman asked.
"Are you certain about that?" Moody asked, sitting back in his chair. "You have played the vast majority of your career for this franchise batting at number four or five. You control the middle overs and finish the games. Moving you to the top changes our entire finishing dynamic."
"I used to bat at number three during the early years of my career, and I have opened the innings in a few international matches when required," Siddanth reminded them without ego. "Shikhar and I understand each other perfectly on the pitch. We run well between the wickets."
Williamson leaned forward, resting his hands on the polished wood. "It makes perfect sense. By opening, Sid guarantees a fast start without sacrificing stability. It also maximizes the number of deliveries our best batsman faces in the innings."
"It does leave a void at the back end of the innings," Laxman pointed out cautiously. "If you open and get out early, we rely entirely on the younger players to finish the game."
"That is exactly why we bought Shane Watson and drafted Shubman Gill," Siddanth countered smoothly. "The middle order is designed to be highly flexible. We do not need a rigid batting card."
Siddanth stood up. He walked over to the whiteboard, picked up a black marker, and began writing the blueprint for the season.
"Shikhar and I will open the batting," Siddanth wrote the names at the top.
He drew an arrow pointing to the number three slot.
"Kane bats at three," Siddanth declared, looking at the New Zealander. "You anchor the innings. If Shikhar or I fall early in the powerplay, you walk in and stabilize the run rate. You play traditional cricket, find the gaps, and rotate the strike. Let the batsman at the other end take the risks."
Williamson offered a slight, comfortable smile. "Understood. Keep the scoreboard moving."
Siddanth moved down the board.
"Positions four and five are situational," Siddanth explained, writing the names Shubman Gill and Shane Watson side by side. He drew intersecting arrows between them. "We do not send them in based on their designated numbers. We send them in based on the match overs."
Moody nodded, following the tactical logic. "If a wicket falls in the eighth over, we send the younger player in."
"Exactly," Siddanth confirmed. "If we lose a wicket early in the middle phase, Shubman walks out to play the spin. He has excellent technique. He can build a partnership with Kane and lay the foundation. But, if the wicket falls after the fifteenth over, Watson walks out immediately. We do not need Watson to build an innings against spin; we need him to hit the fast bowlers into the stands. We maximize their strengths based on the match scenario."
Siddanth moved his marker further down the board, entirely bypassing any verbal questions from the coaches. He wrote the name Wriddhiman Saha firmly in the number six slot.
He turned to face the room. "I want to be very clear regarding this position. I do not care if Saha scores zero runs for the entire season. His primary duty is his glovework."
Muralitharan smiled appreciatively.
"We possess an elite bowling attack," Siddanth elaborated, tapping the marker against the board. "When Rashid bowls a googly that catches the outside edge, or when Bhuvi induces a late swing, a dropped catch costs matches. I cannot afford to have a part-time keeper fumbling because his footwork was slow. A pure keeper saves games. Saha does not drop catches."
"A sound philosophy," Moody agreed, noting the strict defensive priority. "You win tournaments by taking your catches."
Siddanth moved to the lower half of the whiteboard, transitioning to the bowling department.
"Number seven is Rashid Khan," Siddanth wrote. "He provides lower-order hitting power and serves as our primary strike bowler in the middle overs."
He looked at Muralitharan. "Murali sir, regarding the second spinner slot. Markande and Chahar both looked sharp in the domestic clips."
"They are very talented wrist spinners," Muralitharan confirmed, his coaching insight shining through. "Rahul Chahar relies more on overspin and drift. But Mayank Markande gets the nod for the first game. His arm speed is significantly faster, which hides his googly much better. The batsmen will struggle to read him out of the hand."
"Markande takes the number eight spot for now," Siddanth wrote the name.
He moved to the fast bowlers.
"Number nine is Bhuvneshwar Kumar," Siddanth added instantly. Bhuvi required no discussion. He was the undisputed master of the new ball and the death overs.
"That leaves two spots for the pace battery," Laxman observed, reviewing the remaining roster. "We have Steyn, Kaul, Arjun, Natarajan, Khaleel, and Stanlake."
"The rotation policy we established before the auction remains in effect," Siddanth stated, outlining the strategy. "Siddarth Kaul possesses an excellent knuckleball for the dry pitches. Arjun has improved his yorker execution and provides the left-arm angle along with Khaleel and Natarajan."
"What about Dale?" Moody asked softly.
"We manage his workload strictly," Siddanth said, addressing the legendary fast bowler's status directly. "Dale is a legend, but his body cannot handle fourteen consecutive matches anymore. We reserve his fresh legs for the high-pressure games, or when we encounter a pitch with a thick covering of green grass. For the rest of the matches, he serves as a mentor for Khaleel and Arjun in the nets. His presence in the dressing room is vital."
"And the team balance?" Williamson inquired, looking at the final draft. "We are playing four specialist bowlers plus yourself as the fifth, assuming you bowl your full quota of four overs."
"I will bowl my four overs," Siddanth confirmed. "But the whiteboard plan is flexible. If we play on a green, seaming track in Mohali, we drop the second spinner completely. We replace Markande with another fast bowler and we attack them with pace."
Moody reviewed the whiteboard. The strategy was meticulously calculated. The roles were defined with absolute clarity. There was no ambiguity regarding what was expected from each player.
"It is a very solid blueprint, Sid," Moody concluded, closing his notebook. "Moving you to the top of the order neutralizes the loss of David. The situational middle order keeps the opposition guessing. And the bowling attack remains the most versatile in the tournament."
"We stick to the process," Siddanth said, placing the marker back on the tray. "We suffocate them in the field, take our catches, and chase the targets clinically."
Laxman and Muralitharan stood up, expressing their agreement with the finalized plans. The formal meeting broke, transitioning into casual conversations regarding the afternoon training schedules.
As the coaches filed out of the conference room to prepare the practice nets, Williamson remained seated at the table. He collected his tablet and stood up, offering a quiet, respectful nod to his captain.
"Opening the batting, anchoring the innings, and bowling four overs of 150-kilometer pace," Williamson noted smoothly, his voice carrying a genuine tone of final warning regarding the brutal physical reality. "That is an superhuman workload for a two-month summer tournament, Sid."
"The body can handle it, Kane," Siddanth replied, picking up his leather dossier from the table.
"I know it can," Williamson smiled softly, walking toward the door. "Just ensure you leave some runs for the rest of us to score."
Siddanth chuckled, following the vice-captain out of the room. The strategy was locked in. The tactical board was set. The Orange Army was officially ready to march.