SRH in IPL 2026: Sunrisers Hyderabad boast batting extravaganza; but, what about bowling? Check predicted playing XI

Sunrisers Hyderabad, coached by Daniel Vettori, enter IPL 2026 with a squad built around ruthless aggression. They finished 6th in IPL 2025 with 6 wins and 7 losses.

Captain Pat Cummins and the management have a clear mission: attack from ball one and reclaim a playoff spot. SRH play their home games at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad.

However, SRH have been dealt a significant blow with Pat Cummins unavailable for the season opener due to a lumbar stress injury. Ishan Kishan will serve as interim captain in his absence, with Abhishek Sharma as his deputy.

SRH retained 15 players, traded Mohammed Shami to Lucknow Super Giants and signed Liam Livingstone for ₹13 crore at the mini-auction. They were also hit by the injury of Jack Edwards, who has been replaced by England pacer David Payne.

IPL 2026: Full SRH Squad

Batters: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (WK), Heinrich Klaasen (WK), Aniket Verma, Smaran Ravichandran, Salil Arora (WK)

All-Rounders: Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshal Patel, Liam Livingstone, Kamindu Mendis, Abhishek Sharma, Harsh Dubey, Brydon Carse, Shivang Kumar, Krains Fuletra, Jack Edwards

Bowlers: Pat Cummins (C), Zeeshan Ansari, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Onkar Tarmale, Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Shivam Mavi

Coaching: Daniel Vettori (Head Coach)

SRH: Predicted Playing XI

Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma have scored 1,110 runs together at a run rate of 12.37 per over across the last two IPL seasons. Their opening partnership is among the most destructive in the entire tournament, if not in world cricket. Abhishek has also become the world’s No. 1 T20I batter.

Ishan Kishan, world No. 2 in T20 cricket, walks in at number three. He made a stunning debut for SRH in IPL 2025, scoring a century against the Rajasthan Royals. He finished the season with 354 runs in 13 innings. In January, he blasted 103 off 43 balls against New Zealand, his maiden T20I century.

Heinrich Klaasen bats at four as SRH's primary finisher. Retained for ₹23 crore, he scored 479 runs in IPL 2024 at a strike rate of 171.07.

Liam Livingstone, SRH's biggest auction buy at ₹13 crore, comes in at five. His spin bowling, combined with his explosive six-hitting, gives SRH a flexibility that was missing in previous campaigns.

Nitish Kumar Reddy at six is SRH's primary all-rounder. He is an emerging match-winner who can contribute with both bat and ball in high-pressure situations.

Aniket Verma at seven brings remarkable six-hitting ability at the lower order. He hit 20 sixes and only 12 fours in his debut IPL season. At just ₹30 lakh, he could be one of the best-value players in the squad.

In Cummins' early absence, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat and Eshan Malinga form the pace attack. Zeeshan Ansari comes in as the specialist spinner.

SRH's biggest concern heading into IPL 2026 remains their bowling depth and lack of an elite spinner. If their batting fires consistently, they are capable of posting and chasing 200+ totals.

But, away from home, their bowling fragility could prove costly. Shivam Mavi or Harsh Dubey are the likely Impact Player options.