SRH playing XI for IPL 2026: Ishan to lead, who will fill Pat Cummins void? | Cricket News – The Times of India
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will begin their IPL 2026 campaign on March 28 against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). SRH underwent a major transformation in 2024 when Pat Cummins took over as captain, bringing an aggressive approach to the team. The change paid off as SRH reached the IPL 2024 final after six years, although they lost to KKR. However, the runners-up of IPL 2024 kept the same attacking approach in 2025 but it didn’t resulted in their favor and they were knocked in league stage itself on 6th position.Sunrisers Hyderabad had a productive auction ahead of IPL 2026. They entered the mini-auction with a purse of Rs 25.50 crore and had 10 slots to fill after retaining their core squad. New Signings: Liam Livingstone, Salil Arora, Shivam Mavi, Sakib Hussain, Onkar Tarmale, Shivang Kumar, Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Krains FuletraRetained Players: Pat Cummins (c), Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ishan Kishan, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Brydon Carse, Eshan Malinga, Kamindu Mendis, Zeeshan Ansari, Harsh Dubey, Aniket Verma, R. SmaranNotably, Sunrisers Hyderabad was hit by an injury of Jack Edwards signed for Rs 3 crore in IPL 2026 mini auction. SRH have named England pacer David Payne as his replacement. Payne has been signed for Rs 1.5 crore. However the absence of Pat Cummins in the season opener will be a dent for SRH. Here is the strongest predicted Playing XI of SRH ahead of IPL 2026:Travis Head: The explosive opener will retain his spot at the top. Despite a modest T20 World Cup 2026 where he scored 111 runs in four innings concluded with Australia’s first-ever group-stage elimination from the tournament., Head remains a crucial player for SRH.Abhishek Sharma: Abhishek had a disappointing T20 World Cup 2026, registering three ducks. However, as the No.1 ranked T20I batter, he will be eager to bounce back strongly this season. Notably he bounced back in the final of T20 World Cup 2026 with a fifty and management will bank on him to maintain the comeback. Ishan Kishan (C): Ishan Kishan had an outstanding T20 World Cup 2026, scoring 317 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 193.29. He will serve as interim captain in the absence of Pat Cummins for the initial matches.Heinrich Klaasen (WK): Klaasen continues to be the backbone of SRH’s middle order. After stepping away from international cricket, he has focused on T20 leagues, making him a key asset. As Ishan will lead SRH, Klaasen will be handed over with wicket-keeping duites. Nitish Kumar Reddy: A vital all-rounder for SRH, earned emerging player of the award in IPL 2024. Nitish provides balance to the team despite limited recent international apperances in recent months. Liam Livingstone: SRH’s biggest buy of IPL 2026 mini-auction at Rs 13 crore, was in the winning campaign of RCB last year, however he struggled and will aim to reaffirm dominance in 2026 with Hyderabad.Aniket Verma: Aniket Verma was a breakout star in IPL 2025, scoring 236 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 166.20. The uncapped youngster will continue to play a key role in the middle order.Harsh Dubey: A left-arm orthodox spinner and handy all-rounder, Dubey was retained after impressing as an injury replacement in 2025. He will support the spin department.Harshal Patel: In the IPL 2025 season, Harshal Patel played for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) after securing Rs 8 crore at the mega auction. He finished as the team’s joint-highest wicket-taker alongside captain Pat Cummins, with both claiming 16 wickets. In Cummins’ absence, he is expected to lead the pace attack.Eshan Malinga: Eshan Malinga has received clearance from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) for IPL 2026.In his debut IPL season last year he picked 13 wickets in 7 matches, with Cummins unavailable initially, his role becomes even more important.Jaydev Unadkat: Jaydev Unadkat has taken 110 wickets in 112 matches over his extensive IPL career spanning 16 years and his experience will be crucial in the pace unit, especially in the absence of Cummins.Impact Player: Zeeshan AnsariAfter Rashid Khan’s departure in 2022, Zeeshan Ansari has emerged as a key spinner for SRH. He is likely to be used as an Impact Player, providing control and wicket-taking ability in the middle overs.