Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) is gearing up for the IPL 2026 season with astute plays in the mega auction that is set for December 16. Having performed poorly in the last season, SRH has waged war on their squad and recruited the all-rounder Liam Livingstone into the English team to significantly strengthen the batting and bowling department. Below is the probable SRH Playing XI for the upcoming season.

Openers: Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma
It is highly likely that the first batting duo of Sunrisers Hyderabad will consist of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma. They have raised the bar for a nice first six overs by stressing the rival greatly and thus the openers if SRH gets a fast run through them it would be an ideal first six overs.

Middle Order: Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Liam Livingstone
The middle order is all about power and also it is versatile. The wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan who has been very successful in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy might be the one coming in at number 3 slot after his good run. The young gun Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen are the supporting actors, while Livingstone with his sixes in the death over is expected to bat them all out. Livingstone’s spin bowling skill further complements the team. Youngster R. Smaran whos been consistent in the domestic circuit might get a chance in the official squad as well.

Bowling Attack: Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel, Shivam Mavi, Zeeshan Ansari
Pat Cummins continues as the captain and the prime fast bowler along with Harshal Patel who is the consultant for death-over situations and Shivam Mavi whose performance is crucial, all are supporting him. Zeeshan Ansari leads the spinning department while Harsh Dubey provides more spin options. Veteran pacer Jaydev Unadkat will be a key performer in the home games.

Probable Playing XI:
Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Liam Livingstone, Pat Cummins (captain), Harshal Patel, Shivam Mavi, Zeeshan Ansari

The Sunrisers Hyderabad team was under the captaincy of Cummins, consisting of the right mix of seasoned global players and homegrown stars, and it looks like they are going to be the strongest contenders for the IPL 2026 trophy to fight through.