Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Entered the IPL 2025 season with one of the strongest squads on paper, featuring explosive batsmen like Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen and emerging talents like Nitish Kumar Reddy. Despite their firepower, SRH failed to finish in the top four, continuing the trend of inconsistency in recent seasons.
However, the franchise has a proud history, having won the IPL trophy in 2016 and reaching the final in IPL 2024, where they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders. Heading into the IPL 2026 mini-auction with a purse of Rs 25.50 crore and 10 slots to fill, SRH made several strategic changes to strengthen their squad and remain title contenders.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) bought Shivang Kumar, Saqib Hussain, Omkar Tarmale, Amit Kumar, Prafulla Hinge and Cranes Phultra for Rs 30 lakh in the IPL 2026 auction. They also signed Punjab wicketkeeper-batsman Salil Arora for Rs 1.50 crore. Apart from this, SRH made big acquisitions by buying Liam Livingstone for Rs 13 crore, Shivam Mavi for Rs 75 lakh and Jack Edwards for Rs 3 crore.
Strength
SRH's biggest strength is their exceptional batting depth and power-hitting ability. The opening combination of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma provided an aggressive start, often putting the opposition bowlers under pressure right from the start. The middle order is equally destructive, comprising Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ishan Kishan and Aniket Verma, who are capable of scoring big runs with ease.
The addition of Liam Livingstone, Jack Edwards and Salil Arora has further boosted SRH's firepower, making them one of the most dangerous batting units in the league. These players can comfortably strike at a rate of over 180-200, allowing SRH to dominate high-scoring contests.
weaknesses
Despite their batting strength, SRH's bowling unit remains a point of concern. Their pace attack weakened considerably after Mohammed Shami was traded to Lucknow Supergiants. Currently, the pace department is dependent on Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Shivam Mavi and Brydon Carse, who lack consistency compared to rival franchises. The spin department, comprising Harsh Dubey, Zeeshan Ansari and Kamindu Mendis, appears inexperienced and weak, leaving SRH vulnerable on spin-friendly tracks.
opportunity
SRH has a golden opportunity to capitalize on their aggressive batting philosophy. If their batsmen maintain their form and bowlers bowl disciplined spells, the team can dominate the opponents and push for a second IPL title. The slightly revised squad provides fresh optimism for IPL 2026.
threats
The biggest threat for SRH is their own ultra-aggressive approach. While aggression has led to success, last season showed that careless shot selection in pressure situations can backfire. If SRH fails to balance intent with consistency, their aggressive mindset could once again derail their title ambitions.
Sunrisers Hyderabad IPL 2026 Team:
Abhishek Sharma, Aniket Verma, Brydon Carse, Ishan Malinga, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan, Jaydev Unadkat, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins, R Smaran, Travis Head, Zeeshan Ansari, Shivang Kumar, Saqib Hussain, Salil Arora, Omkar Tarmale, Amit Kumar, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mawi, Jack Edwards
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