5 bowlers SRH should retain ahead of IPL 2026 auction

11 hours ago 20

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) had a disastrous Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. Coming in as the finalists of the previous edition, Hyderabad was eliminated from the tournament after 11 matches. Until that point, they had won just 3 games.

Batting was the main reason behind this downfall. Everyone seemed out of form. When they weren’t, it was an issue with the tempo and pacing of the innings. The bowling wasn’t as bad, but wasn’t great either. For starters, they had a debutant as their frontline spinner. That’s why, before the IPL 2026 auction, they’ll have to sort things out.

5 bowlers SRH should retain for IPL 2026

Pat Cummins will stay. He had a modest season, but as captain, there isn’t a way SRH will let him go. The same goes for Harshal Patel. He won’t ever have a great economy, but the wicket column is where he shines. As someone who operates well in the middle and death overs, having Harshal isn’t a blessing.

Eshan Malinga might have been the biggest positive for SRH. The slingy pacer didn’t have a great record in the powerplay but was exceptional post it. Jaydev Unadkat brought his best and was great in all phases. His variations, especially the slower ball, seemed to do the trick more often than not for SRH.

BatterTypePrice (INR)IPL 2025 stats

Pat Cummins	Right-arm fast bowler	18.00 crore	16 wickets at 28.12 & economy of 9.06
Harshal Patel	Right-arm fast bowler	8.00 crore	16 wickets at 26.87 & economy of 9.90
Eshan Malinga	Right-arm fast bowler	1.20 crore	13 wickets at 18.30 & economy of 8.92
Jaydev Unadkat	Left-arm fast bowler	1.00 crore	11 wickets at 15.90 & economy of 7.34
Zeeshan Ansari	Leg spinner	40.00 lakh	6 wickets at 55.50 & economy of 9.84

The last place should go to either Zeeshan Ansari or Harsh Dubey. The latter had much better statistics, but the former is a leg-spinner. A type of bowler is much tougher to find. He showed his ability throughout the season, but he is a little rough around the edges. Ansari should get better from here on. He should be picked, but that doesn’t mean Harsh shouldn’t, since he isn’t a mug with the bat either.