The SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) were touted to break the 300-run mark in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. While they did manage to amaze with immense striking in some games, the Orange Army were not at their best last season. Despite having a fiery top order including Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen, they lost four of their first five matches, leading to their downfall.
SRH burnt Rs 75 crore on their five retained players, including captain Pat Cummins, but still managed to have a decent IPL 2025 mega auction where they bought huge names like Kishan, Mohammed Shami and Adam Zampa. But the tournament didn’t turn out to be a success, especially after ending up as runners-up in the prior season. Now, with the retention deadline presumably set for November 15, SRH have their task cut out. They need to shuffle the squad somewhat and below are their potential released players for IPL 2026.
Potential SRH released players before IPL 2026
Mohammed Shami (Rs 10 crore)
SRH face a tough but practical call with Mohammed Shami ahead of the IPL 2026 mini auction. The veteran pacer, bought for Rs 10 crore last season, endured one of his toughest campaigns in the league, picking just 6 wickets in 9 matches at an economy rate of 11.23.
His rhythm deserted him, his yorkers went missing, and in several games, he looked a shadow of the strike bowler. Shami’s dip in form and pace proved costly, forcing SRH to rely on younger, hungrier options like Ehsan Malinga and Simarjeet Singh. At 35, Shami is well past his peak and has struggled to stay fit across formats. Releasing him could free up a massive ₹10 crore purse which is a considerable amount, especially in a mini auction. With his diminished stocks, SRH could buy back Shami for a cheaper price too.
Ishan Kishan (Rs 11.25 crore)
Another experienced Indian international part of the list is Ishan Kishan, who was one of the marquee signings last year. The former Mumbai Indians (MI) opener entered the auction and attracted bids from several teams. SRH won the bid but that suprised some since they already had Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head as two left-handed openers. Klaasen was designated keeper too.
Regardless, Kishan was slotted at number three, a number where he averages just 26.60 and his SR there is also below 138. He was bought for a whopping Rs 11.25 crore. While he did start the campaign on a terrific note, scoring a century against Rajasthan Royals (RR), his numbers diminished massively. In a period of seven matches, Kishan managed just 33 runs at a horrific average of just over 4. He ended the tournament on a high too, scoring 94 but those two knocks were really it. You don’t pay more than 11 crore for just two big knocks!
Rahul Chahar (Rs 3.20 crore)
Here is an interesting one. Rahul Chahar, who has won two IPL titles with MI, is not one of the most exciting spinners in the Indian circuit. In fact, he got to play just one game for SRH last season and bowled just one over too. Instead, the side found enough potential in two younger talents in Zeeshan Ansari and Harsh Dubey, who both combined cost SRH just Rs 60 lac. Meanwhile, Chahar earns Rs 3.20, an amount that could be brought back to the auction budget without losing much.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) full squad
Pat Cummins (C), Sachin Baby, Travis Head, Abhinav Manohar, Atharva Taide, Aniket Verma, Smaran Ravichandran, Heinrich Klaasen (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Harshal Patel, Wiaan Mulder, Kamindu Mendis, Abhishek Sharma, Harsh Dubey, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Shami, Jaydev Unadkat, Brydon Carse, Simarjeet Singh, Eshan Malinga, Adam Zampa, Rahul Chahar, Zeeshan Ansari
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