Sunrisers Hyderabad enters the 2026 IPL with the majority of their core remaining intact and a purse of Rs 25.5 crore. They also made a significant change to their pace attack by trading Mohammed Shami to Lucknow.
Pat Cummins, Abhishek Sharma, and Travis Head remain the team’s main force. Cummins will lead the team with his captaincy and pace. Abhishek and Head stay as the main batting engine, with both coming off strong seasons marked by high strike rates and consistent starts.
The team has decided to move on from Shami after a quiet season in which he took 6 wickets in 9 matches and conceded heavily. He was moved from Sunrisers Hyderabad to Lucknow Super Giants in a cash-only trade valued at ₹10 crore, the same amount SRH had spent on him in the IPL 2025 auction. The agreement between both franchises is already in place, but it still requires Shami’s consent before the transfer becomes official. The trade discussions took shape just before the IPL deadline for teams to finalize their release lists.
They also released Adam Zampa and Rahul Chahar, trimming the spin group and freeing up auction space. The retained unit features key names such as Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kamindu Mendis, Harshal Patel, and Brydon Carse, giving the franchise stability across departments.
With the departures of Zampa, Chahar, Wiaan Mulder, Abhinav Manohar, Atharva Taide, Sachin Baby, and Simarjeet Singh, the team now consists of its retained group. SRH enters the auction with sufficient flexibility to target new bowlers and depth options for the 2026 Indian Premier League, as they still have Rs 25.5 crore available.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH): Eyeing Players at IPL 2026 auction
Sunrisers Hyderabad has a specific goal going into the IPL 2026 auction: to strengthen the squad’s depth while reshaping their bowling group. After their retention process, they had a core of 15 players consisting of Pat Cummins, Travis Head, and Abhishek Sharma. However, the trade-off of Mohammed Shami and the release of Adam Zampa and Rahul Chahar indicate that the primary focus is on reviving the attack.
With a remaining purse of ₹25.5 crore, SRH has one of the strongest budgets among the top contenders. They intend to use that room to bring in high-impact bowlers, particularly an overseas seamer with pace and a frontline spinner to replace the two specialists they let go.
The Shami trade signals a move toward a younger, more reliable pace unit, especially with the franchise wanting to avoid repeating a season where they conceded 220-plus totals far too often. The team’s management views the mini-auction as a chance to correct the imbalance created during the previous mega auction cycle.
SRH also needs to strengthen their middle-order options and finishing role. Heinrich Klaasen remains their main late-overs hitter, but the batting behind him is thin, meaning they will keep an eye on all-rounders who can close games while offering a few overs. Their focus can generate a lot of interest in players like Liam Livingstone, Ravi Bishnoi, Glenn Maxwell, and Cameron Green.
FAQs
Q. What is SRH’s purse?
A. SRH has ₹45 crore in their purse for the 2026 IPL.
Q. Which players did SRH release for IPL 2026?
A. SRH released Mohammad Shami (to LSG), Abhinav Manohar, Atharva Taide, Sachin Baby, Wiaan Mulder, Simarjeet Singh, Rahul Chahar, and Adam Zampa.
Q. Has SRH retained Travis Head?
A. Yes. SRH has kept big names like Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, and Pat Cummins.
Q. Who was the SRH captain in 2025?
A. Pat Cummins was the SRH captain in 2025.
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