SRH IPL 2026 Squad Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Strongest XI

SRH finished seventh on the IPL 2025 points table.

Sunrisers Hyderabad shaped up the SRH IPL 2026 squad with crucial signings of Jack Edwards and Liam Livingstone in the mini auction. At the same time, they smartly roped in some uncapped talents on a budget.

However, some purchases raised questions about their role. There were concerns about overspending on overseas finishers and not investing enough in known spinners to lead the attack. But several teams, including SRH, chose to back talented domestic cricketers instead of breaking the bank on flashy players.

Now that the teams are finalised, let’s have a look at the full SRH IPL 2026 squad, the strongest XI, strengths, and weaknesses.

SRH IPL 2026 Squad Analysis

Sunrisers Hyderabad entered the IPL 2026 auction with a purse of INR 25.5 crore. They had several gaps to fill, including the void left by Mohammed Shami, a hard-hitting all-rounder who can chip in with the ball, particularly with the spin, and wicket-taking spinners.

While the franchise did a great job by securing the services of Liam Livingstone and Jack Edwards to strengthen the lower-order batting, they failed to sign a known new-ball bowler and specialist spinner. Notably, SRH spinners fared worst in the IPL 2025, claiming the lowest number of wickets. Hyderabad also made some uncapped signings in Salil Arora, Shivang Kumar, Onkar Tarmale, Krains Fuletra, Praful Hinge, Amit Kumar, and Sakib Hussain.

If they manage to solve those mysteries by trusting in new, unknown identities to do the job, Sunrisers Hyderabad would be among the four teams that would enter the playoffs. But for now, they are once again heavily dependent on their batting.

SRH IPL 2026 squad

Pat Cummins (c), Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aniket Verma, R. Smaran, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Kamindu Mendis, Harshal Patel, Brydon Carse, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, Zeeshan Ansari, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mavi, Salil Arora, Shivang Kumar, Onkar Tarmale, Krains Fuletra, Praful Hinge, Amit Kumar, Sakib Hussain, and Jack Edwards.

🗣️: 𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗟𝗘! 💪🧡

[Play With Fire | TATA IPL Auction] pic.twitter.com/a0ZId8gmrP
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) December 16, 2025

Sunrisers Hyderabad Strongest Playing XI

Travis Head ✈️
Abhishek Sharma
Ishan Kishan
Nitish Kumar Reddy
Heinrich Klassen ✈️
Liam Livingstone ✈️
Pat Cummins ✈️
Shivam Mavi
Harshal Patel
Harsh Dubey
Zeeshan Ansari
Jaydev Unadkat/Salil Arora (Impact Player)

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SRH IPL 2026 Squad Strengths

Explosive Top-seven: While Sunrisers Hyderabad already had the most explosive batting lineup, the inclusion of Liam Livingstone has further added depth. Like others, Livingstone has played ample T20 cricket in recent times and boasts a huge experience of playing in the IPL.

Diverse Pace Attack: With Cummins, Harshal Patel, Unadkat, and Malinga, SRH possesses decent middle-overs and death bowling options while maintaining the variety in pace attack.

Experienced All-Rounders: They have a nice set of all-rounders, including NKR, Harsh Dubey, Livingstone, Jack Edwards, Brydon Carse, and Kamindu Mendis, who provide flexibility for both seam and spin options.

SRH IPL 2026 Squad Weaknesses

Lack of Powerplay Specialist Pacer: They lack a frontline powerplay bowler like Mohammed Shami, who can keep the pressure intact.

Unavailability of Reliable Spinners: Harsh Dubey, who has consistently performed in domestic cricket and for India A, stands out among SRH spinners. Apart from Dubey, all their recruits lack experience at such a big stage, though it possesses a diverse spin attack.

No Solid Backups: There are as many as eight uncapped Indian players, such as Ravichandran Smaran, Onkar Tarmale, Krains Fuletra and Praful Hinge, who may struggle in high-pressure situations.

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