The SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) entered IPL 2025 with the reputation of being the team most likely to smash past 300 in an innings. And while they did produce flashes of that explosive batting power, their season never quite came together. Even with a top order boasting Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen, the Orange Army stumbled early, losing four of their first five matches, and never fully recovered.
They had already spent a hefty Rs 75 crore on their five retentions, including skipper Pat Cummins, but still managed to pull off an impressive auction, landing big names like Ishan Kishan, Mohammed Shami and Adam Zampa. Unfortunately, the campaign failed to live up to expectations, especially after their runners-up finish the previous year. With the retention deadline around November 15, SRH now face some serious decisions about how to rebuild before the next season. Below, we see five young players who SRH should not let go by any means.
Youngsters Sunrisers Hyderabad should retain
Smaran Ravichandran (Rs 30 lakh)
Some fans might not remember but Smaran Ravichandran was part of the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) squad earlier this year. He was picked for a base price of Rs 30 lakh but was unfortunately ruled out of IPL 2025 due to an injury. Having said that, SRH should not let the talent go, as the 22-year-old is one of the best batters.
On the day of writing, Ravichandran delivered a marathon knock of 220* off 390 balls for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy. His innings came against last year’s runners-up, Kerala. Not just this, he had a terrific KSCA Maharaja T20 Trophy, having mustered 415 runs at an incredible average and SR of 156.02. This just shows that he is an all-format talent, and SRH might have a gem in their hands.
Harsh Dubey (Rs 30 lakh)
Now comes the player who replaced Smaran Ravichandran for SRH at IPL 2025 – Harsh Dubey. He is one of the many left-arm spinners that are performing exceptionally in the Indian domestic circuit. Undoubtedly, the biggest breakout for Dubey came when he tumbled the history books for Vidarbha. In the title-winning Ranji Trophy season, Dubey clinched 69 wickets in 19 innings, becoming the player with the most wickets in a single Ranji Trophy season.
In his maiden IPL season, Dubey did well with SRH as well, taking five wickets, including a three-fer against KKR. In that game, he accounted for the wickets of Andre Russell, Rinku Singh and Ramandeep Singh. At just 30 lakh, SRH have a great domestic spinner.
Zeeshan Ansari (Rs 40 lakh)
Talking about spinners, here’s another for Hyderabad. Zeeshan Ansari was one of the underrated picks by the franchise at the IPL 2025 auction. The leg-spinner from Uttar Pradesh, once part of India’s Under-19 team, made his name by doing well in the UPT20 league. At UPT20 2024, he mustered 24 wickets at an economy of 7.63. Due to this, he was picked by SRH for Rs 40 lac.
Ansari accounted for 15 wickets at a great economy of 7.97 in this year’s UPT20 league as well. SRH gave him a run of 10 games, as they didn’t have the services of Adam Zampa. In those 10 games, Ansari was mediocre, taking 6 wickets. However, he has a potential and can be backed.
Aniket Verma (Rs 30 lakh)
Now comes the player who made a revelation for SRH at IPL 2025. Aniket Verma stood out even in a star-studded SRH batting lineup. The reason was simple: his big hitting. The Madhya Pradesh batter was purchased at a price of only 30 lakhs but made waves. Overall, he hammered 236 runs in 12 innings at a superb strike rate of 166.20, one of the best by an uncapped Indian.
He made headlines with a 41-ball 123 in the 2024 Madhya Pradesh League (MPL) and a stunning unbeaten 101 in the Men’s U-23 State A Trophy. Now, Aniket looks a perfect buy for SRH. For five years, SRH persisted with Abdul Samad but he never really flourished in the role. Now, this looks like a match made in heaven.
Nitish Kumar Reddy (Rs 6 cr)
Here is the most obvious one among all. Nitish Kumar Reddy was unearthed at SRH, a team who bought him for just Rs 20 lac in 2023. However, he has reaped huge rewards and his career has taken a wonderful turn, now becoming an all-format player for Team India.
After becoming the Emerging Player of the IPL 2024, Nitish Kumar Reddy was drafted in the Indian team and the rest is history. He was one of the five mega retentions for SRH ahead of IPL 2025, getting Rs 6 crore per year. Many fans even feel that he is getting underpaid when compared to what he has to offer. With 15 international games in his bucket, NKR is the one for present and future.
SRH squad IPL 2025
| S. No | Player Name | Price (INR) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pat Cummins (✈️) | ₹18 crore |
| 2 | Sachin Baby | ₹30 lakh |
| 3 | Travis Head (✈️) | ₹14 crore |
| 4 | Abhinav Manohar | ₹3.2 crore |
| 5 | Atharva Taide | ₹30 lakh |
| 6 | Aniket Verma | ₹30 lakh |
| 7 | Smaran Ravichandran | ₹30 lakh |
| 8 | Heinrich Klaasen (✈️) | ₹23 crore |
| 9 | Ishan Kishan | ₹11.25 crore |
| 10 | Harshal Patel | ₹8 crore |
| 11 | Wiaan Mulder (✈️) | ₹75 lakh |
| 12 | Kamindu Mendis (✈️) | ₹75 lakh |
| 13 | Abhishek Sharma | ₹14 crore |
| 14 | Harsh Dubey | ₹30 lakh |
| 15 | Nitish Kumar Reddy | ₹6 crore |
| 16 | Mohammed Shami | ₹10 crore |
| 17 | Jaydev Unadkat | ₹1 crore |
| 18 | Brydon Carse (✈️) | ₹1 crore |
| 19 | Simarjeet Singh | ₹1.5 crore |
| 20 | Eshan Malinga (✈️) | ₹1.2 crore |
| 21 | Adam Zampa (✈️) | ₹2 crore |
| 22 | Rahul Chahar | ₹3.2 crore |
| 23 | Zeeshan Ansari | ₹40 lakh |
