Sipu Jha
As debates rages over the inclusion of Abrar Ahmed in the Sunrisers Leeds squad during The Hundred auction, Southern Braves head coach Hemang Badani says his franchise approached the draft with a simple principle: stick to the plan and build the best possible squad. He did admit they had Pakistani players on their shortlist but didn’t sign any in the end.Badani insisted that Southern Braves’ strategy was guided purely by team balance rather than outside narratives.
“We had a few players in our list,” Badani said when asked about the possibility of signing Pakistani players. “The bottom line is that we’re looking at securing the best squad. And the best squad is what we felt the way we went forward. Because we had (Tristan) Stubbs already, we had Marcus Stoinis already. We were looking at either an overseas spinner or a local spinner. And we secured Adil Rashid.“And then we went to Nikhil Chaudhary to be our all-rounder. So I think in most ways, you’re just looking at ensuring that you pick the best one,” he continued.Badani emphasised that discipline and patience were crucial during the auction, particularly in a fast-moving process where plans can quickly unravel.“The major thing about auctions is that you need to be disciplined and stick to your plan,” he said. “Even when you feel the auction isn’t going in the direction you wanted, you still have to be patient and adapt quickly. The minute you start panicking, things can go wrong.”According to the former India all-rounder, no franchise walks away with every target.“You’re never going to get all the players you’re looking for,” he said. “If you manage to secure about 70–75 percent of the players or the skill sets you wanted, you’ll be happy.”Southern Braves brought back a familiar name in Chris Jordan, a long-time favourite at the Utilita Bowl, the team’s home venue.“We genuinely believe he has massive value for us,” Badani said. “He’s someone who has been at the Braves, done well here and understands the conditions.”The franchise also made a forward-looking pick by signing England U-19 cricketer Thomas Rew, whose performances at youth level caught the coach’s eye.“I saw him live during the Under-19 World Cup and I thought he batted beautifully,” Badani said. “He strikes the ball well and we believe he’s someone for the future.”Another addition is David Miller, whom Badani has previously worked with at Delhi Capitals. While the prior association helped, Badani said the decision was primarily tactical.“We were looking for a left-hander who could finish games and play spin well in the middle and at the end,” he explained. “To get someone like Miller at the price we did was a steal.”
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