Published on: Mar 19, 2026 2:54 pm IST|Updated on: Mar 19, 2026 6:25 pm IST
The 2016 IPL champions, Sunrisers Hyderabad, are all set to kick off their season campaign against the defending champions and one of their arch-rivals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, in a Southern derby. The two sides will be locking horns on the opening day of IPL 2026, i.e., March 28, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad didn’t had a great season last year as they finished 6th on the points table with 13 points, which included 6 wins, 7 losses, and a no-result game. Although they won their last three games of the season on the trot, it was a little too late for SRH to qualify for the playoffs. With a rejuvenated squad that features quite a few youngsters, let’s check out what could be the best possible playing XI for the 2016 champions, who must be aiming to grab their second IPL glory after 11 years.
Last Season’s Finish: Sixth
Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma are popularly known by the moniker ‘TraviShek’ in the IPL. The duo have had the best strike rate as an opening pair in the Tata IPL since 2024. Although last season was a bit cold for Travis and Abhishek as a pair, the annihilation they caused to the bowlers in the 2024 season was nothing but sheer brilliance. The Sunrisers would be hoping to see the best of this fearsome duo in the upcoming season as well.
The demolition of the openers will continue in the middle order as well for the Sunrisers with the likes of newly appointed interim skipper Ishan Kishan, wicket-keeper demolisher Heinrich Klaasen, and last season’s find, Aniket Verma. The trio will be bracing the middle order and are capable of sending any ball out of the park in any given scenario of the game. Ishan at 3, followed by Heinrich Klaasen and Aniket Verma at no 4 and 5, respectively, forms one of the most intimidating middle orders in this IPL season.
English all-rounder Liam Livingstone was Sunrisers Hyderabad’s biggest acquisition in the IPL 2026 auction. The franchise spent as many as INR 13 Crore to hold on to the 32-year-old all-rounder. Liam hasn’t had an IPL to remember in the past despite playing his trade with teams like the Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Donning new colors this season, the English all-rounder would be hoping to turn the tables around and have perhaps the best IPL season of his career this year.
Nitish Kumar Reddy was one of the finds for the Sunrisers in 2024 when the team reached the finals. His impactful knocks and knack for picking wickets gave him a shot in the Indian team across formats. However, his stocks gradually decreased in the following IPL season as he struggled to deliver with both bat and ball, which left Sunrisers reeling. His poor form was one of the biggest reasons the 2016 champions missed the playoff berth. However, with the start of a new season, Reddy would be hoping to fight the demons of the last season and start afresh.
The Sunrisers made a strange decision to let go of their premier Indian pacer Mohammad Shami ahead of the season. Ironically, they didn’t even opt for an established Indian pacer in the IPL 2026 auctions. With Pat Cummins unavailable in the initial phase of the tournament, the pace bowling onus would be on the experienced Indian pair of Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat, who have been the owners of the Purple Cap in past seasons of the Tata IPL.
The Indian duo will get assistance from either English pacer Brydon Carse or Sri Lankan seamer Eshan Malinga, who are the other two overseas pace-bowling options in the squad after Pat Cummins. Sunrisers may have a power-packed batting lineup, but they would be struggling in the bowling department, and to make things worse, there’s no robust news on when Pat Cummins will join the squad. The newly appointed skipper, Ishan Kishan, will have his task cut out in managing his bowling resources.
The 23-year-old slow left-arm orthodox bowler will be the lone spinner in the eleven. He will get tough competition from leggy Zeeshan Ansari for a spot in the eleven, who was one of the finds for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last season.
With a daunting batting lineup, the Sunrisers will opt for an extra bowling option as an impact sub. They don’t have many experienced bowlers in the squad, but youngsters like Zeeshan Ansari, Shivam Mavi, Sakib Hussain, or Omkar Tarmale could be used as extra bowling options.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by IndiaFantasy (@indiafantasy)
A post shared by IndiaFantasy (@indiafantasy)
Tags: IPL 2026