Former SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) coach Tom Moody believes that the franchise could regret releasing English batter Harry Brook ahead of the upcoming mini-auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Brook was Hyderabad’s most expensive purchase at the IPL 2023 auction, with the side shelling out a whopping ₹13.25 crore to acquire the youngster’s services.
Moody feels Hyderabad might have released Brook in a bid to get him at a much lower price this time around. However, he claimed that it wouldn’t be an easy task for the 2016 champions, as several other teams would also target the promising player.
Speaking to Star Sports, Tom Moody said:
«Maybe their strategy is to get him back for half the price. But I think SRH are potentially going to regret the fact that Harry Brook is back in the auction because he is an unbelievable talent.»
Harry Brook endured a horrible IPL campaign in 2023. Apart from an unbeaten 100-run knock against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), it was a forgettable maiden season for the 24-year-old.
Tom Moody reckoned that the Hyderabad think tank missed the trick by making Brook bat out of position in most of the games in IPL 2023.
«The other thing we need to consider is that in his first season of the IPL, he batted out of position in 80 percent of the games,» Moody continued. «He was bought as a middle-order No. 4 player, and they forced him up to the top of the order, which he has never opened in T20 cricket before.
«In a way, it is the franchise to blame as much as the player to blame with regards to how they used him. It is like picking a striker in a football match and getting him to play in the back the whole season and wondering why he is not doing well.»
Hyderabad released a total of six players ahead of the IPL 2024 mini-auction. Apart from Brook, they also parted ways with Samarth Vyas, Kartik Tyagi, Vivrant Sharma, Akeal Hosein, Adil Rashid, and Mayank Dagar (traded).
«They have lost faith in that thought process» – Tom Moody on SRH considering Harry Brook a long-term prospect
Tom Moody further stated that SRH roping him Harry Brook for a hefty sum gave an idea that the franchise was willing to invest in the dynamic batter for at least a decade. But, as things stand, the franchise might have lost their faith in the English cricketer.
«I can’t understand it. But the debate would have been quite simple,» Moody stated. «It would have been a case of, do we look at Harry Brook being a franchise player, a one-club player, or do we want instant results? Harry Brook is one of the most exciting young players in world cricket in all three formats of the game.»
«So, Sunrisers making the decision to pick him up at the auction at a significant level raised our eyebrows. But you are making that decision based around the fact that he is going to be with us for the next 10 years, and we are going to win three titles with him in those next 10 years. So, clearly, they have lost faith in that thought process.» he added.
The IPL 2024 auction will take place on December 19 in Dubai. SRH will go into the auction with ₹34 crore in their purse. They need to fill six slots, including three overseas players.
