SRH's strongest playing XI for IPL 2026

SRH’s most expensive player in the IPL 2026 mini-auction was Liam Livingstone.

Sunrisers Hyderabad looked strong even before the IPL 2026 mini-auction, as most of their team was already decided. In the initial rounds of the auction in Abu Dhabi, the 2016 champions chose not to buy any players, despite having the full amount of money available.

The first player they purchased was uncapped spinner Shivang Kumar. The Sunrisers decided to delve more into the uncapped territory and signed six more players. The players are Amit Kumar, Sakib Hussain, Salil Arora, Onkar Tarmale, Praful Hinge and Krains Fuletra.

In the second round, they decided to indulge in bidding wars as they secured the services of English all-rounder Liam Livingstone for a price of INR 13 crore.

Then, they added former Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowler Shivam Mavi to the team for a price of INR 75 lakh. Hyderabad filled the last spot in their team at the mini-auction by completing the deal for Australian all-rounder Jake Edwards.

What could be SRH’s playing XI in IPL 2026?

Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head are expected to open the batting for SRH, as they did last season. Wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan comes in third, while Heinrich Klaasen plays in the fourth position, where he has given his best performances.

Nitish Kumar Reddy, who has performed as a solid all-rounder for the Sunrisers, will bat in the fifth position, after Klaasen. Adding further depth to the batting lineup, Aniket Verma and Liam Livingstone are expected to play at the sixth and seventh positions, alternating between them.

Livingstone was Hyderabad’s most expensive buy in the IPL 2026 mini-auction, as they secured the English all-rounder’s services for INR 13 crore. The Sunrisers captain Pat Cummins would potentially bat at the eighth spot, followed by bowlers Harshal Patel, Zeeshan Ansari and Jaydev Unadkat.

One between former Kolkata Knight Riders pacer Shivam Mavi and Sri Lankan bowler Eshan Malinga is likely to be the 2016 IPL champion’s impact player, replacing Aniket Verma or Travis Head, according to the team’s requirements.

Meanwhile, Australian all-rounder Jake Edwards and Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis are also expected to get chances in the starting line-up as part of the rotation or in case any player suffers from an injury.

Strongest Playing XI of SRH-

Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Liam Livingstone, Aniket Verma, Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari.

Impact player: Shivam Mavi or Eshan Malinga.

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