Sunrisers Hyderabad had a busy day at the mini auction. They shelled out Rs 20.05 crore in Abu Dhabi for 10 new players. Eight Indians and two overseas cricketers joined the squad on December 16, 2025.
SRH clearly wanted to fix gaps from last season. Heavy hitters were on their shopping list this time. Looking at their buys, this lineup could give any team nightmares.
Top Order Packs a Serious Punch
Abhishek Sharma gets the opening slot again this year. He’s sitting at World No. 1 in T20I rankings right now. Travis Head partners with him up top after another strong auction pick.
Head and Sharma together? That’s trouble for bowlers from ball one. Ishan Kishan slots in at three for IPL 2026. The Indian keeper-batter hasn’t played for the national team much lately.
SRH tried this same top three during IPL 2025 actually. Things didn’t click consistently enough though. Maybe this year proves different with better support down the order.
Middle Order Brings Experience and Power
Heinrich Klaasen takes the number four spot for the team. The South African doesn’t play international cricket anymore but he’s still deadly. He’ll handle the wicketkeeping duties as well during matches.
Nitish Kumar Reddy bats at number five in this lineup. This young Indian all-rounder has impressed everyone with his skills. His ability to both bat and bowl helps the team balance.
| Player | Role / Notes |
|---|---|
| Abhishek Sharma | Batter/All-round option |
| Travis Head | Batter |
| Ishan Kishan | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Heinrich Klaasen (WK) | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | All-rounder |
| Liam Livingstone | All-rounder |
| Aniket Verma | Batting All-round option |
| Pat Cummins | Pace Bowler / Captain |
| Harshal Patel | Pace Bowler |
| Jaydev Unadkat | Left-arm Pace |
| Zeeshan Ansari | Spin Bowler |
New Faces Join Sunrisers Hyderabad Strongest Playing 11
Liam Livingstone came through the auction doors for SRH. Jack Edwards also got picked up as an all-round option for IPL 2026. There’s already a debate about who’ll deliver more for the team.
Both guys offer something different with bat and ball. Smaran Ravichandran deserves a mention here too. This 22-year-old from Karnataka has been piling runs in domestic matches.
Can he force his way into the Sunrisers Hyderabad Strongest Playing 11? That’s what everyone’s wondering about. Pat Cummins continues as captain and adds quality to IPL 2026.
