Sunrisers Hyderabad have assembled an explosive batting unit for the IPL 2026. However, itโs the bowlers that win the tournament for a team and in that regard, the 2016 champions could be having a nightmare of a season. Captain Pat Cummins will miss the first few games of the season, while there are fitness concerns regarding Eshan Malinga. Jaydev Unadkat is the only experienced Indian pacer in the camp, who may not feature regularly in the XI.
Their spin unit too is extremely inexperienced. The team management might fall to Harsh Dubey and Liam Livingstone, who are interesting options to have. Harshal Patel, who has won the Purple Cap before, will have to lead the pace battery, while it needs to be seen if David Payne breaks into the playing XI. He replaced injured Jack Edwards in the squad.
How do SRHโs batting unit look?
The batting unit, on the other hand, is one of the most sought-after in the league. Abhishek Sharma is set to open alongside Travis Head and if either of them plays even half the innings, they can change the complexion of the game. In the 2024 season, the duo dominated the proceedings and will be gearing up for another good season with the bat, especially when Hyderabad finished sixth last year, winning only six of their 14 matches.
Ishan Kishan, who will lead the team in Cumminsโ absence, will bat at three and Heinrich Klaasen is expected to bat at number four. Livingstone can be slotted at five, while Nitish Kumar Reddy and Aniket Verma can bat at numbers six and seven, respectively. Harsh Dubey can be slotted at number eight, while Harshal Patel, David Payne and Shivam Mavi are expected to be the three pacers.
Either Jaydev Unadkat or Sakib Hussain can feature as the Impact Player. Meanwhile, in case the team management prefers a pace-bowling all-rounder instead of Livingstone, who is a spin-bowling all-rounder, they can play Englandโs Brydon Carse. However, with the spin department looking extremely weak on paper, they could be tempted to play Livingstone, at least for the first few matches.ย
SRH Playing XI – Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (c), Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Liam Livingstone, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Aniket Verma, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, David Payne, Shivam Mavi
Impact Player – Jaydev Unadkat/Sakib Hussain
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