The auctions for the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League were held in Abu Dhabi on December 16, and excitement is already building among fans ahead of the next season. The franchises tried to bring the best players from across the T20 format, who can provide heft and balance in the lineup and create the best combination. In this article, we discuss the ideal playing eleven of Sunrisers Hyderabad for the next IPL season. Sunrisers Hyderabad won the IPL trophy in 2009 in South Africa under the captaincy of former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist, when it was known as Deccan Chargers, and in 2016 under the captaincy of former Australian opener David Warner. The team continues to produce some of the finest bowlers who have been match winners in the shorter format in terms of their accuracy and their ability to consistently get wickets. The team has produced some of the most destructive hitters in the shorter format, and since David Warner was the captain, the team’s approach has looked aggressive, which has helped the team gel as a unit.
Best Predicted XI , Overview of the squad and how we selected the playing XI
Sunrisers Hyderabad made it to the finals of the 2024 IPL season but finished 6th on the points table in the 2025 edition. The team consists of some power hitters who can smash any bowling line-up, as they scored 287/3 against RCB and 278/3 against KKR during the 2025 season, which highlights the ability of their batters to demolish any bowling attack. The team possesses some match winning all rounders and pacers that provide a balance of youth and experience. We have predicted the playing XI depending on their role and their needs:
1. Travis Head (Batter)
2.Abhishek Sharma ( Batter)
3. Heinrich Klaasen (Batter)
4. Ishan Kishan (Wicket Keeper batter)
5. Aniket Verma ( batting all rounder)
6.Wiaan Mulder (All rounder)
7. Nitish Reddy (All-rounder)
8. Pat Cummins (captain and bowling all-rounder)
9. Brydon Carse (fast bowling all-rounder)
10. Jaydev Unadkat (left-arm fast bowler)
11. Kamindu Mendis (right arm off break)
12. Harsh Dubey (spin bowling all-rounder)
How we selected the playing XI
Pat Cummins’s aggressive approach and his strategic thinking in field placements have impressed Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise owners as the 33-year-old leads the pace attack that also consists of Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, Nitish Reddy, etc. Cummins can also double up as a batter lower down the order, and it will be exciting to see promising all-rounders Aniket Verma and Harsh Dubey perform.
Retaining players like Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen and all-rounder Wiaan Mulder will add width in the batting department as well as provide additional options in the pace and batting line-up. Nitish Reddy can be a big contributor with the bat as well as the ball. We selected the playing XI keeping in mind the reserves the team possesses in every department. Batters like Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head can destroy any bowling line-up as openers as the duo have consistently dominated the best bowlers during power play, while the middle order doesn’t consist of big names. All rounder Aniket Verma has showcased his hitting capabilities with the bat. Wicket keeper batter Ishan Kishan can be the accelerator at no 4 or 5. Team’s depth in batting as well as bowling runs deep. Aniket Verma and Harsh Dubey can be utilised as bowling all-rounders. Nitish Reddy will be preferred ahead of any one of the above-mentioned all-rounders. Wiaan Mulder is a healthy option for death bowling. The batting positions mentioned above can turn out to be worthy unless there are minor adjustments . Smaran Ravichandran from Karnataka was bought for a sum of INR 30 lakhs and the left-hander can be a worthy option lower down the order for his hard-hitting abilities.. SRH have won 37 matches in 59 games played at home with a success rate of 62 % highlighting their potency in home conditions. It will also depend on how the team management manages the workload of every player keeping in mind the team combinations required as per the opponent.
Best Impact Player options
Harsh Dubey or Aniket Verma, both can be used as surprise packages for impact player roles, while left-arm spinner Zeeshan Ansari is another player who can fit the role of impact player, adding width in the spin department.
Alternative playing XI options
Sri Lankan pacer Eshan Malinga can be a suitable option with his bounce and deceptive seam movement in the pace department if there is an injury concern in the playing XI. If there are any specific changes to be made depending on the nature of a wicket, SRH has backup options available in the spin as well as pace department.
Team’s Strengths based on the ideal playing XI
SRH can crack apart any bowling unit in the power play as they have some destructive hitters at the top consisting of Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and the middle order consisting of the big-hitting South African batter Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan and Aniket Verma followed by Wiaan Mulder and Nitish Reddy. SRH have depth in their bowling as Pat Cummins leads the bowling lineup followed by Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, etc. They have the resources in the pace department that can be penetrative in the death overs. Even Nitish Reddy and Wiaan Mulder can be more than handful in the death. In the spin department, Kamindu Mendis can be more than handy while Zeeshan Ansari can be a surprise package with his armers and young Harsh Dubey is a deceptive operator with his left arm orthodox spin.
Possible weaknesses of the SRH team in IPL 2026
The team doesn’t have big names except 1 or 2, and overdependence on players like Pat Cummins and Heinrich Klaasen can put these players under pressure that can affect their performances. In the middle order, except Klaasen and Ishan Kishan, there isn’t any player who can provide fluency and stability, so SRH took a chance with Sahil Arora who is a wicket keeper batter and can hit some boundaries when needed.
Shivang Kumar is an exciting all-rounder who can do the job with the bat as well as with the ball. Himachal Pradesh all-rounder Amit Kumar was bought for a sum of INR 30 lakhs, and the all-rounder can provide depth in the bowling and batting departments. Medium pacer Praful Hinge from Vidarbha was bought for INR 30 lakhs, while former India under-19 pacer Shivam Mavi was bought for a sum of INR 75 lakhs. Although the team has enough backup options in the pace department, the spin department lacks penetration. Apart from Kamindu Mendis, there isn’t any superior spinner as Harsh Dubey and Zeeshan Ansari are still work in progress.