The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have added another replacement player in their IPL 2026 roster. David Payne, who himself replaced injured Jack Edwards earlier in the season, has himself been ruled out for remainder of the tournament due to an ankle injury. The IPL has confirmed that SRH have signed Gerald Coetzee as his replacement for INR 2 crore.
Injuries make SRH look new at IPL 2026
After the IPL 2026 auction, SRH had one of the most underwhelming pace bowling unit. With Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat and Eshan Malinga not performing, SRH were extremely poor. While the spin-bowling unit was alright, the pace bowling unit made the team suffer.
After the first 20 matches, SRH had the worst economy (11.47) as a pace bowling unit and also had the second-worst bowling average (45.4). But that changed until SRH gave opportunities to young duo of Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain, who took four wickets each to win an incredible match against Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Just after that, SRH brought in their second replacement, with Dilshan Madushanka replacing injured Brydon Carse. While the Sri Lankan has joined the SRH camp, it remains to be seen if he replaces Malinga in the starting lineup.
Coetzee boost for SRH amid Cummins’ absence
Meanwhile, now bringing in Coetzee has further bolstered the pace bowling unit. While Hinge and Sakib will be looking to repeat impressing the management, Shivam Mavi and Onkar Tarmale are other Indian options apart from the used Harshal and Unadkat.
The overseas department has added a Coetzee touch now. The tall fast bowler is known for his hit-the-deck bowling that hurries the batters. His raw pace impressed at the 2023 ODI World Cup in India before the Mumbai Indians (MI) signed him for INR 5 crore.
He finished his debut season with 13 wickets in 10 matches. Due to the mega auction dynamics, MI had to let him go before Gujarat Titans (GT) snapped him up for INR 2.40 crore. He featured in 4 matches during this season, picking up two wickets with an economy rate of 10.92.
Coetzee will be the one who can be a perfect option when SRH would eye a bowler with ferocious pace. He recently featured in a T20I series against New Zealand after the T20 World Cup, where he took eight wickets at an economy of 6.21 in five innings.
Meanwhile, Pat Cummins’ return is on track for SRH. He has passed the fitness test in Australia and was reported to join the SRH camp on April 17. However, scans came almost a day after Cummins wrote on his Instagram that he is aiming for the 25th April clash against Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Cricket
Sunrisers Hyderabad sign Gerald Coetzee as David Payne's replacement amid Pat Cummins' uncertainty
