The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) continued with their template of stacking up the batting. Alongside the Mumbai Indians (MI), SRH have formed a dangerous batting unit but that was already the case. SRH went into the IPL 2026 auction needing to find an able replacement for Mohammed Shami, who they traded to LSG for Rs 10 crore. But what did they do? Well, they bolstered their batting further by adding Liam Livingstone (for Rs 13 crore) and bought as many as 8 uncapped players.
Biggest question mark on SRH after IPL auction
The Sunrisers Hyderabad failed to supply their biggest demand of adding major names in the bowling department. The likes of Ravi Bishnoi, Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep or one of the overseas fast bowlers would’ve been ideal for SRH. But they didn’t buy any of them. Instead, they burnt more than 50 per cent of their purse on Livingstone, who adds more problems for them. Yes, he fits perfectly into SRH’s strategy of going helter-skelter but he takes up a crucial overseas spot for SRH.
Three overseas spots in Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen and captain Pat Cummins are no-brainers for SRH. Now, if they add Livingstone, suddenly there would be no space for someone like Eshan Malinga, who is needed in this lineup. Why? Well, he did well last season and secondly, SRH desperately need a pacer who can strike early in the powerplay.
As of now, SRH only have Cummins and Rs 75 lakh signee Shivam Mavi, who is adept in the first six overs. Both Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat are specialists when the field is out. Hence, it is pertinent for SRH to play Malinga, thus leaving out Livingstone, who is on a Rs 13 crore pay cheque.
Robin Uthappa raises more concern for SRH
Former Indian keeper and IPL winner Robin Uthappa has debated about Hyderabad’s bowling as well. Apart from questioning the Livingstone deal, he also mentioned the worrying sign of the “youth factor” in SRH. According to Uthappa, all three of Cummins, Harshal and Unadkat are inexpensive at times. Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar Reddy’s bowling is still a question mark in the IPL.
“Nothing has really changed. SRH have taken a clear stand; they want to win the championship on the back of their batting, at full tilt. If you look at this auction and the way they’ve gone about it, they’ve stayed true to that narrative. They haven’t gone after an Indian bowler who could support Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel or Jaydev Unadkat. We know Harshal can pick up wickets, but he can also be expensive. The same goes for Unadkat. Pat Cummins is the only bowler who can consistently hold one end. Nitish Reddy is still developing as an all-rounder, so how much responsibility will he get?” said Uthappa on JioHotstar.
By mentioning that almost all the SRH bowlers are on the latter stages of their careers, Uthappa flagged a major concern. Apart from Shivam Mavi and Eshan Malinga, all three of Cummins (32), Harshal (35) and Unadkat (34) are not in their ‘youth’. While it must be mentioned that SRH signed a plethora of uncapped bowling talent, none of them scream that they can start right away.
“But the question is — where does Liam Livingstone fit into this line-up? You already have Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, Pat Cummins and Eshan Malinga occupying overseas slots. Are they planning to chase every game? Or are they accepting that their bowling lacks depth, especially with some bowlers being in the latter stages of their careers? The youth factor in the bowling unit just isn’t there right now,” Uthappa said on JioStar.
Full Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) squad for IPL 2026
Pat Cummins (c)✈️, Travis Head✈️, Abhishek Sharma, Aniket Verma, R. Smaran, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen✈️, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Kamindu Mendis✈️, Harshal Patel, Brydon Carse✈️, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga✈️, Zeeshan Ansari, Shivang Kumar, Salil Arora, Sakib Hussain, Onkar Tarmale, Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Krains Fuletra, Liam Livingstone✈️, Shivam Mavi, Jack Edwards✈️.
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