Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) entered the 2026 auction with a “don’t blink” philosophy. Having retained the most explosive core in the league (Head, Abhishek, Klaasen), they had one goal: find the “missing link” for the middle order. They did so by winning the most intense bidding war of the day to secure Liam Livingstone, creating a batting lineup that is effectively a T20 cheat code.
The Official Squad Breakdown
| Batters & Wicket-Keepers | All-Rounders | Bowlers |
| Pat Cummins (C) | Liam Livingstone ✈️ | Harshal Patel |
| Travis Head ✈️ | Nitish Kumar Reddy | Jaydev Unadkat |
| Abhishek Sharma | Jack Edwards ✈️ | Shivam Mavi |
| Ishan Kishan (WK) | Kamindu Mendis ✈️ | Eshan Malinga ✈️ |
| Heinrich Klaasen (WK) ✈️ | Harsh Dubey | Brydon Carse ✈️ |
| Aniket Verma | Shivang Kumar | Sakib Hussain |
| R. Smaran | Zeeshan Ansari | |
| Salil Arora (WK) | Krains Fuletra | |
| Praful Hinge |
The “New Faces” & Strategic Moves
SRH’s auction was defined by “late aggression”—waiting for the right moment to spend their remaining ₹25.5 crore.
- The Blockbuster Buy: Liam Livingstone (₹13 Cr). After a fierce tug-of-war with Lucknow Super Giants, Kavya Maran secured the English powerhouse. Livingstone provides the secondary spin option and finishing muscle SRH lacked in 2025.
- The “Ishan Factor”: By retaining Ishan Kishan, SRH has locked in an all-LHB top three (Head, Abhishek, Ishan), a nightmare for captains trying to manage match-ups.
- The Uncapped Gamble: Salil Arora (₹1.5 Cr). SRH fended off Mumbai Indians for this young wicket-keeper batter, seeing him as a long-term local successor to the glovework duties.
- The Pace Reload: They traded away Mohammed Shami (to LSG) but brought in Shivam Mavi (₹75 Lakh) and Jack Edwards (₹3 Cr) to add variety to their death-bowling options.
Probable XI & Impact Strategy
This XI is built to maximize the powerplay and then “out-muscle” the opposition in the middle overs.
- Travis Head ✈️
- Abhishek Sharma
- Ishan Kishan (WK)
- Heinrich Klaasen (WK) ✈️
- Liam Livingstone ✈️
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Pat Cummins (C) ✈️
- Harsh Dubey / Aniket Verma
- Harshal Patel
- Jaydev Unadkat
- Zeeshan Ansari / Shivam Mavi
Impact Player Strategy:
- The Yorker Specialist: Resting Livingstone, and Eshan Malinga ✈️ or Brydon Carse ✈️ as the go-to bowling subs if the track offers extra bounce or requires specialized death bowling.
- The Mystery Spin: On dry tracks, Krains Fuletra (the newly acquired left-arm wrist spinner) can be subbed in to provide a fresh dimension that opponents haven’t seen before.
Analysis: The Highs, Lows, and Gaps
What they got right: Intent Over Everything – SRH has doubled down on the “250+ or bust” approach. With Head, Abhishek, Klaasen, and Livingstone, they have four players who can score a 20-ball fifty. If the top order fires, games will be over before the 10th over.
The Gaps They Forgot to Plug: The “Shami-Sized” Hole – Trading away Mohammed Shami to LSG is a massive risk. While Harshal Patel and Unadkat are experienced, they lack Shami’s ability to take wickets in the Powerplay. SRH will be heavily reliant on Pat Cummins to strike early, or they risk letting opponents off the hook.
The X-Factor: Zeeshan Ansari – With Adam Zampa and Rahul Chahar released, the leg-spin burden falls on Zeeshan. If he can maintain a sub-8 economy rate in the middle overs, it allows the SRH batters to play without the fear of a massive chase.
The Final Verdict
Sunrisers Hyderabad are the “Heavy Metal” band of the IPL. They don’t care about balance as much as they care about intimidation. They have replaced the experience of Shami and Zampa with raw domestic talent and the nuclear option of Liam Livingstone. If the pitch is flat, SRH are invincible; if the pitch is a “rank-turner,” their discipline will be tested.
