Sunrisers Hyderabad’s predicted playing XI for IPL 2026 features Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma opening, Ishan Kishan at three, Heinrich Klaasen as the finisher, and Pat Cummins captaining the side.
SRH will enter IPL 2026 with a squad built around ruthless aggression. The 2016 champions retained 15 players, traded Mohammed Shami to LSG, and signed Liam Livingstone for ₹13 crore at the mini-auction in Abu Dhabi.
After finishing sixth in IPL 2025 with six wins and seven losses, Daniel Vettori’s coaching staff and captain Cummins have a clear mission: attack from ball one and reclaim a playoff spot. The squad now has 25 players, and the balance looks strong on paper.
Final Predicted XI
| Player Name | Player Role |
|---|---|
| Travis Head | Opener (Overseas) |
| Abhishek Sharma | Opener / All-Rounder |
| Ishan Kishan (WK) | No. 3 Batter |
| Heinrich Klaasen | Finisher (Overseas) |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | Batting All-Rounder |
| Liam Livingstone | All-Rounder (Overseas) |
| Aniket Verma | Lower-Order Batter |
| Pat Cummins (C) | Fast-Bowling All-Rounder (Overseas) |
| Harsh Dubey | Left-Arm Spinner |
| Harshal Patel | Right-Arm Fast Bowler |
| Jaydev Unadkat | Left-Arm Fast Bowler |
Impact Sub: Shivam Mavi / Zeeshan Ansari / Salil Arora
Backups: Brydon Carse, Kamindu Mendis, Eshan Malinga, and Jack Edwards
So, what does SRH’s strongest XI look like this season? Here is a position-by-position breakdown.
1. Travis Head (Opener)
Travis Head opens the batting and sets the tone from ball one. The Australian left-hander was SRH’s highest run-scorer in IPL 2024, smashing 567 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 191.55.
His season included four fifties and the fastest century of IPL 2024, reaching three figures off just 39 balls against RCB.
SRH retained him for ₹14 crore, and rightly so. Head’s ability to dismantle any bowling attack in the powerplay makes him one of the most feared openers on the planet.
When Head gets going, bowlers don’t just look for wickets. They look for cover.
2. Abhishek Sharma (Opener, All-Rounder)
Abhishek Sharma partners Head at the top, and together they form arguably the most destructive opening pair in IPL history. Over the last two seasons, they scored 1,110 runs together at a run rate of 12.37, with four century partnerships.
In IPL 2024 alone, Abhishek hammered 484 runs at a strike rate of 204.22 and smashed 42 sixes. That’s the most sixes by any Indian batter in a single IPL season.
Beyond the IPL, Abhishek has become India’s number-one ranked T20I batter, achieving the highest-ever rating points (931) in the format’s history. He also chips in with left-arm orthodox spin, giving Cummins a sixth bowling option.
Retained at ₹14 crore, Abhishek is SRH’s engine room. If he fires in the powerplay, the rest of the innings takes care of itself.
3. Ishan Kishan (WK, No. 3)
Ishan Kishan walks in at number three with the wicketkeeping gloves. He made a stunning debut for SRH in IPL 2025, scoring a century against Rajasthan Royals on debut and finishing the season with 354 runs in 13 innings.
His international form backs that up. In January 2026, Kishan blasted 103 off 43 balls against New Zealand, his maiden T20I century. That kind of form heading into the IPL is exactly what SRH needed.
Retained at ₹11.25 crore, Kishan completes a left-handed top three and frees up Klaasen from keeping duties. Smart move all around.
4. Heinrich Klaasen (Finisher)
Heinrich Klaasen bats at four and plays the role of SRH’s primary finisher. In IPL 2024, he scored 479 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 171.07. When Klaasen walks to the crease, bowlers know the middle overs just got a lot harder.
SRH retained him for a whopping ₹23 crore, making him the highest-paid player in the squad. Despite early reports that SRH might release him, the franchise backed their finisher. Finding someone who can consistently clear boundaries under pressure is nearly impossible.
Having retired from international cricket, Klaasen’s full focus is now on franchise T20 cricket. SRH will be the biggest beneficiary of that decision.
5. Nitish Kumar Reddy (Batting All-Rounder)
Nitish Kumar Reddy slots in at number five and offers genuine all-round depth. In IPL 2024, he scored 303 runs at a strike rate of 142 and won the Emerging Player of the Year award. SRH retained him for ₹6 crore.
His coming-of-age moment arrived during the India-Australia Test series, where he hit a gutsy century at the MCG. That innings turned him from a promising youngster into a household name overnight.
At just 22, Reddy can bat in the middle order and bowl handy medium pace. SRH are investing in the long game with this one. The best part? He’s only scratching the surface.
6. Liam Livingstone (All-Rounder)
Liam Livingstone is SRH’s blockbuster IPL 2026 mini-auction signing. After initially going unsold in the first round, a fierce bidding war between SRH and Gujarat Titans pushed his price to ₹13 crore. SRH clearly wanted him badly.
The England all-rounder brings fearsome hitting ability and can bowl both off-spin and leg-spin. That dual-spin option gives Cummins extra flexibility, especially on turning tracks at venues like Kolkata and Chennai.
Livingstone at six means SRH’s batting doesn’t lose momentum even deep into the innings. Think of him as the bridge between the top-order blitz and the death-over assault.
7. Aniket Verma (Batter)
Aniket Verma fills the lower middle-order spot at seven. SRH signed him for just ₹30 lakh after impressive performances in the Madhya Pradesh League, and he repaid that faith quickly.
In his debut IPL season, Verma showed remarkable six-hitting ability. Across 12 innings, he hit 20 sixes and only 12 fours. That ratio tells you everything about his approach: go big or go home.
He’s the kind of lower-order hitter who can turn a decent total into a massive one in the final three overs. At ₹30 lakh, he might just be the steal of the squad.
8. Pat Cummins (Captain, Fast-Bowling All-Rounder)
Pat Cummins leads the team and anchors the bowling attack from number eight. SRH bought him for ₹20.50 crore before IPL 2024, and he led the franchise to the final in his very first season as captain (runners-up to KKR).
Cummins has taken 79 wickets in the IPL so far. His ability to bowl with the new ball, through the middle overs, and at the death makes him a rare three-phase bowler.
He’s no mug with the bat either. Cummins has three IPL fifties to his name and can hit clean sixes when SRH need quick runs from the lower order.
Having captained Australia to a World Cup title, Cummins brings the kind of composure and tactical brain that money alone can’t buy. SRH’s entire campaign revolves around his leadership.
9. Harsh Dubey (Left-Arm Spinner)
Harsh Dubey is SRH’s primary spinner heading into IPL 2026. The left-arm orthodox bowler from Vidarbha enters the tournament after a breakout Ranji Trophy 2024–25 season where he claimed an extraordinary 69 wickets. Yes, sixty-nine.
After releasing Adam Zampa and Rahul Chahar, SRH needed a reliable spinner who could control the middle overs. Dubey fits that brief perfectly.
His left-arm angle also pairs well with Livingstone’s dual-spin option, giving SRH variety against both left and right-handed batters. On turning pitches, this combo could be lethal.
10. Harshal Patel (Right-Arm Fast Bowler)
Harshal Patel is SRH’s death-overs specialist. A two-time Purple Cap winner and the fastest bowler to reach 150 IPL wickets, his slower balls and yorkers are among the toughest deliveries to pick in the tournament.
In IPL 2025, he picked up 16 wickets in 13 innings, proving he still has the skill to outsmart batters at the back end of innings.
Retained at ₹8 crore, Harshal brings experience and composure that you simply can’t manufacture. Every team needs a bowler who can defend 12 runs in the last over. Harshal is that bowler for SRH.
11. Jaydev Unadkat (Left-Arm Fast Bowler)
Jaydev Unadkat completes SRH’s playing XI with left-arm pace. The veteran has played 112 IPL matches and taken 110 wickets across his career, making him one of the most experienced Indian seamers in the league’s history.
In IPL 2025, Unadkat grabbed 11 wickets in just 7 innings, showing sharp form with both the new ball and at the death.
His left-arm angle offers variety alongside Cummins and Harshal. Retained at just ₹1 crore, Unadkat is arguably the best value-for-money pick in the entire SRH squad. Sometimes the quietest signings make the loudest impact.
Impact Player Options
SRH has strong options for the impact player slot. Shivam Mavi will likely be the first-choice substitute when SRH need an extra pacer. The right-arm quick, who first grabbed attention during the 2018 U19 World Cup, has taken 30 wickets in 32 IPL matches. Bringing him in gives Cummins a four-pronged pace attack on seamer-friendly surfaces.
Zeeshan Ansari, a leg-spinner from UP, offers a spin option. He finished as the top wicket-taker in the first UP T20 League with 24 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of 7.60. On slow, turning pitches, he can replace a pacer and form a dual-spin attack alongside Dubey.
Salil Arora provides a batting-heavy impact option. The 23-year-old wicketkeeper from Punjab scored 358 runs in SMAT 2025 at a strike rate close to 198.88, including a blistering 125 off 45 balls. If SRH want extra firepower for a high-scoring game, Arora can step in and deliver.
The choice of impact player changes based on the match situation, opposition, and pitch conditions. This flexibility is one of SRH’s biggest tactical advantages heading into the season.
Overseas Players Breakdown
IPL rules allow four overseas players in the playing XI. SRH’s likely four overseas picks are:
- Travis Head (Australia)
- Heinrich Klaasen (South Africa)
- Liam Livingstone (England)
- Pat Cummins (Australia)
Brydon Carse, Kamindu Mendis, Eshan Malinga, and Jack Edwards sit as overseas backup options. If Livingstone struggles for form, Kamindu Mendis could step in as a like-for-like replacement offering batting and spin. Brydon Carse provides a pace-bowling alternative if Cummins needs workload management.
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Conclusion: SRH Targets Their Second IPL Title With an All-Out Attack
SRH’s predicted playing XI for IPL 2026 has one clear philosophy: attack from ball one and never take the foot off the gas. The Head-Abhishek opening pair, Klaasen’s finishing power, and Livingstone’s middle-order muscle make this batting lineup one of the most feared in the tournament.
Captain Cummins leads an experienced bowling unit featuring Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat, while Harsh Dubey adds spin variety. Bench strength from Mavi, Ansari, Carse, and Mendis means SRH can rotate without losing quality.
If the key players stay fit and the bowling holds up under pressure, the Orange Army has every chance of going deep into the tournament and challenging for their second IPL trophy. The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium awaits, and the orange jerseys are ready to roar.
