The timeline for IPL 2026 mini-auction is ticking closely which has led to all the ten franchises, one of which being Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) that ranked 6th in the last season, working on their plans for the auction, that is going to be held on December 16 in Abu Dhabi.

SRH has still been able to maintain their core squad. Still, they have given away the experienced pacer Mohammed Shami to Lucknow as a trade-off because he could not make an impact last season. Thus, Sunrisers Hot Star instead of packing him off in the retain list has started to think of the other frontline bowler through the auction to replenish the gap left by him.

SRH’s Focus on Matheesha Pathirana

SRH has a current balance of ₹25.50 crore and can acquire three players as a minimum and ten players as a maximum. It seems quite challenging to find a quality Indian fast bowler to step in for Shami because the mini-auction may not present any prominent domestic pacers.

This has made it hard for SRH to see the Sri Lankan, Matheesha Pathirana as their next target. The young bowler, who was with CSK before his release in the mini-auction, is already considered as a death-overs specialist. Besides that, he has shown great potential with his raw pace, deadly yorkers, and controlling runs effectively in both middle and final overs.

Sources suggest SRH are even ready to spend nearly half of their purse to secure Pathirana. Despite being relatively new to international cricket, Pathirana matured significantly under MS Dhoni’s leadership at CSK. Often dubbed the “Junior Malinga,” he has the skill set SRH are keen to add to their bowling attack for IPL 2026.

SRH Retained Players

Overseas players (6):
Pat Cummins (Captain), Heinrich Klaasen (Wicketkeeper), Travis Head, Kamindu Mendis, Eshan Malinga, Brydon Carse

Indian players (9):
Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper), Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Aniket Verma, Harsh Dubey, Smaran Ravichandran, Zeeshan Ansari

Players Released by SRH

Abhinav Manohar, Adam Zampa, Atharva Taide (Wicketkeeper), Rahul Chahar, Sachin Baby, Simarjeet Singh, Wiaan Mulder

All eyes will now be on whether SRH successfully execute Kavya Maran’s bold auction plan by landing Pathirana as their new death-overs spearhead for IPL 2026.