As the countdown to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 begins, there are already concerns mounting around a few players from the 2016 champions, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). With high expectations already, SRH players’ consistency is likely to be under scrutiny with poor form and a lack of T20 experience in the recent past.
One of the biggest points is the inconsistency in the form of a few of their opening batters. Despite flashes of brilliance, several SRH players have failed to convert good starts, especially in a tournament like the T20 World Cup 2026. With only a few countable days left for the upcoming edition, let’s delve into three players who are in poor form going into the IPL 2026 season.
3 SRH players who are in poor form ahead of IPL 2026
Abhishek Sharma
Abhishek Sharma enjoyed one of the most explosive openers in the format. His aggressive batting style, high strike rate, and ability to score quick runs made him a key player for both India and SRH in T20 competitions. But his recent series of poor performances during India’s T20 World Cup title defence got him into the limelight.
The top-order batter could only score 80 runs in six matches at a batting average of 13.33 and, as a result, has found himself on the list of poor performers for SRH ahead of IPL 2026.
Travis Head
Travis Head has had a mixed T20 cricket performance during the 2025–26 season, showing flashes of his aggressive batting but also experiencing some inconsistency compared to his outstanding 2024 season. In T20 Internationals during 2025, the Australian opener played around 5 matches and scored 62 runs, with the highest score of 31.
Known for his fearless approach in powerplays, often targeting fast bowlers early and maintaining a high strike rate in the shortest format, Head was seen struggling with consistency, a sight which was even visible in the T20 World Cup 2026, where he could amass only 111 runs in four matches at an average of 27.75.
Heinrich Klaasen
Heinrich Klaasen delivered a decent T20 cricket performance during the 2025–26 season. Known to be one of the most destructive middle-order batters in franchise cricket, Klaasen, although he stepped away from international cricket in 2025, remained active in global T20 leagues. In the 2025 season, Klaasen played multiple T20 matches across leagues and scored over 300 runs in around 19 innings, but his impact with the bat became short in early 2026.
In the SA20 2025–26 season, playing for Durban’s Super Giants, Klaasen had a relatively modest campaign. His output in this particular season was below his usual standards, as he could score only 138 runs in 9 matches at an average of 19.71.
Sunrisers Hyderabad IPL 2026 squad
Batters: Ishan Kishan, Aniket Verma, Smaran Ravichandran, Salil Arora, Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head
All-rounders: Harshal Patel, Kamindu Mendis, Harsh Dubey, Brydon Carse, Shivang Kumar, Krain Fuletra, Liam Livingstone, Jack Edwards, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy
Bowlers: Pat Cummins, Zeeshan Ansari, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Onkar Tarmale, Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Shivam Mavi
