5 players SRH should target at IPL 2026 auction ft. Andre Russell

The SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) promised to breach that 300-mark in the Indian Premier League (IPL). But that fearless attitude had its downsides as well, a sight that we saw at the IPL 2025. Despite having the most troublesome batting lineups, SRH failed to qualify for the knockouts as they finished sixth, failing to continue after being runners-up in the season prior.

Now, SRH made a big call by letting Mohammed Shami go in a trade deal with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). That stripped Rs 10 crore off SRH’s books and they will now go at the IPL 2026 auction with a decent purse of Rs 25.5 crore, which is the third-biggest after KKR and CSK.

Cricket

9 mins

3 teams who don’t need to sign Andre Russell at IPL 2026 auction ft. RCB

Who will SRH eye at IPL 2026 auction?

Alongside the Mumbai Indians, the Sunrisers Hyderabad have the best top six. With Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen and Aniket Verma, it is a sight that many teams fear. The bowlers become mere bowling machines. And by releasing the likes of Abhinav Manohar and Sachin Baby, we now know that SRH eyes a stronger name at number seven. Imagine Andre Russell! Damn, this SRH team would be unplayable.

However, if they don’t manage to get hold of Russell, which remains likely as KKR (64.30 crore) and CSK (43.40 crore) have an exorbitant purse, Wanindu Hasaranga would be a great pick. He can act as a floater too, while his leg spin is a secret to none. SRH can pair him with Harsh Dubey as well, as team nowadays want left-arm spinners’ variety.

Who will replace Shami at SRH?

SRH don’t have a proper powerplay pacer now. They gave away Shami to LSG, while also releasing Simarjeet Singh, a move that could raise a few eyebrows. With Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat and Pat Cummins, SRH don’t have a gun new-ball bowler who can attack early.

Hence, SRH need two pacers at least. One can be an overseas pick. Matt Henry and Josh Tongue could be great picks. With Cummins being in charge, he can also look to bring in someone like Ben Dwarshuis or Jason Behrendorff, who has taken the most wickets in the BBL in last 3 years. Indian pacer is a must as well for SRH, with Chetan Sakariya and Akash Deep in the mix.

Players SRH should target at IPL 2026 auction

Two other types of players that SRH need to invest in are Indian spinners and backup Indian batters. Among spinners, Ravi Bishnoi should be the biggest target. SRH love to have defensive bowlers who can curb the batting run rate, with Harshal, Unadkat and Brydon Carse being prime examples in the team. Bishnoi had a lacklustre IPL 2025 but his stocks will be high after LSG released him from an Rs 11 crore contract.

Also, SRH have Smaran Ravichandran as a backup batter. The Karnataka talent is on a superb run of form, but it is always great to have more backups. With 10 slots to fill (overall), SRH can do away by signing Yash Dhull, Swastik Chikara or even Rahul Tripathi, who played his best T20 cricket with SRH.

Sunrisers Hyderabad at IPL 2026 Retentions

Released: 8
Retained: 15
Purse available: INR 25.5 crore
Slots available: 10 (2 overseas)

SRH squad before IPL 2026 auction

Pat Cummins , Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Travis Head , Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ishan Kishan (wk), Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Aniket Verma, Kamindu Mendis , Eshan Malinga , Brydon Carse , Harsh Dubey, Smaran Ravichandran, Zeeshan Ansari

The post 5 players SRH should target at IPL 2026 auction ft. Andre Russell appeared first on Inside Sport India.