The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will once again root for ‘Mission 300’ come the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. While it didn’t quite work last season, the SRH have a fiery batting unit that has been bolstered with the addition of Liam Livingstone. The Orange Army also bought a slew of talented local bowling talent. But issues remain in the team. Let’s discuss more about it below as Insidesport looks at SRH’s strongest playing XI with an Impact Sub.
Liam Livingstone adds firepower for SRH
The opening duo of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head is perhaps the most feared pair in the IPL. They are the two reasons why SRH are favourites to scale mount 300. The two operated at a strike rate of 192, the best in the league (full-time partners). To continue the aggressive dynamics, Ishan Kishan is slated to have a better season in 2026 after his amazing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), where he led Jharkhand to an incredible win.
Kishan ended up as the highest run-getter with 517 runs along with 33 sixes (also the highest) at a strike rate of 197.32. SRH would want the Jharkhand version of Kishan. The middle-order features Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Liam Livingstone and Aniket Verma. NKR and Livingstone provide bowling cushions as well, while Klaasen is an adept keeper.
Livingstone, who won IPL 2025 with RCB, has blown hot and cold but can be a game-changer in this SRH lineup. So is Klaasen. As for Nitish Reddy, he is yet to blow everyone away in the IPL. But with a number of games for India across formats, IPL 2026 could be his to counter. Aniket Verma was a revelation for SRH last season. SRH’s version of Ashutosh Sharma, Naman Dhir and Shashank Singh as the MP lad made 236 runs at a SR of 166.20.
SRH have issues in bowling without Shami
No doubt, Mohammed Shami didn’t do well in his only season for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He was off radar but without him, SRH have issues in their bowling. They have too many defensive options and no bona-fide new ball pacer. Yes, Pat Cummins would spearhead the attack but he is a much better force in Tests and ODIs. The only real candidate for the new ball is Shivam Mavi, who hasn’t played IPL in the last few seasons.
Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat would have to start in this team. They are wicket-takers but leak runs at an alarming rate. Among spinners, there are multiple options but all are uncapped Indians. Zeeshan Ansari, who did well in his debut season, should be a starter over the likes of Harsh Dubey, Krains Fuletra/Amit Kumar and Shivang Kumar.
In a league where teams have spinners like Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Santner and Noor Ahmad, SRH would depend on Ansari, Livingstone and Abhishek. So, that is a glaring issue as well. SRH did well in acquiring superb talents like Salil Arora and Krains Fuletra; this bowling lineup certainly looks far inferior as compared to other teams.
Strongest Rajasthan Royals Playing XII for IPL 2026
| S. No. | Player | Backup Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abhishek Sharma | |
| 2 | Travis Head ✈️ | |
| 3 | Ishan Kishan (wk) | |
| 4 | Nitish Kumar Reddy | Smaran Ravichandaran |
| 5 | Heinrich Klaasen (wk) ✈️ | |
| 6 | Liam Livingstone ✈️ | Jack Edwards ✈️/Kamindu Mendis ✈️ |
| 7 | Aniket Verma | Salil Arora |
| 8 | Harshal Patel | Harsh Dubey |
| 9 | Pat Cummins (C)✈️ | Brydon Carse ✈️/Eshan Malinga ✈️ |
| 10 | Shivam Mavi | Onkar Tarmale/Praful Hinge |
| 11 | Jaydev Unadkat | Sakib Hussain |
| 12 (Impact Sub) | Zeeshan Ansari | Krains Fuletra/Amit Kumar/Shivang Kumar |
Full SRH squad for IPL 2026
Abhishek Sharma, Aniket Verma, Brydon Carse, Eshan Malinga, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan, Jaydev Unadkat, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins, Smaran Ravichandaran, Travis Head, Zeeshan Ansari, Salil Arora (INR 1.50 Cr), Shivang Kumar (INR 30 lakh), Liam Livingstone (INR 13 Cr), Jack Edwards (INR 3 Cr), Amit Kumar (INR 30 lakh), Krains Fuletra (INR 30 lakh), Sakib Hussain (INR 30 lakh), Onkar Tarmale (INR 30 lakh), Praful Hinge (INR 30 lakh), Shivam Mavi (INR 75 lakh)
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