SRH's strongest playing XI and impact player options after IPL 2026 auction ft. Liam Livingstone & Abhishek Sharma

The SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) had an interesting time at the 2026 Indian Premier League auction on Tuesday, December 16. They came into the event with a number of holes to fill, and while they perhaps didn't go with their first-choice approach, they still ended up with some smart picks.

SRH will head into the new campaign with a decent squad, headlined by the acquisition of Liam Livingstone. Hyderabad, who had a disappointing campaign last year, are expected to turn up as a much stronger outfit this time around.

SRH's squad for IPL 2026: Abhishek Sharma, Aniket Verma, Brydon Carse, Eshan Malinga, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan, Jaydev Unadkat, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins, Smaran R, Travis Head, Zeeshan Ansari, Salil Arora (INR 1.50 Cr), Shivang Kumar (INR 30 lakh), Liam Livingstone (INR 13 Cr), Jack Edwards (INR 3 Cr), Amit Kumar (INR 30 lakh), Krains Fuletra (INR 30 lakh), Sakib Hussain (INR 30 lakh), Onkar Tarmale (INR 30 lakh), Praful Hinge (INR 30 lakh), Shivam Mavi (INR 75 lakh).

On that note, here is SRH's strongest playing XI and impact player options after the IPL 2026 auction.

Openers: Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head

2025 IPL - Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kolkata Knight Riders - Source: Getty

Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma will continue to open the batting for SRH. While they weren't at their absolute best during the previous campaign, they are expected to fare better this time around, especially with both players having been in good form.

Middle Order: Ishan Kishan (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, R Smaran, Liam Livingstone

In the middle order, SRH have a few decisions to make. Aniket Verma had a breakthrough campaign last year, but his form in domestic cricket hasn't been as pristine as one would expect. Therefore, R Smaran, who has been a consistent run-scorer for Karnataka across formats, could be a player for the first XI.

Ishan Kishan had a sensational Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy and is expected to feature at No. 3 once again, while Heinrich Klassen and Nitish Kumar Reddy will add power to the middle order. Livingstone, of course, will feature, presumably as a death-overs power hitter who can contribute a few overs of spin.

Lower Order: Pat Cummins (c), Harshal Patel, Shivam Mavi, Zeeshan Ansari

Pat Cummins will lead the Orange Army once again in IPL 2026, and he will have company in the pace department in the form of Harshal Patel and Shivam Mavi. Mavi's form will be one to watch out for, with Hyderabad not having acquired any reliable Indian pacers at the auction.

Zeeshan Ansari is expected to lead the spin attack once again, with Krains Fuletra and Amit Kumar serving as his backups.

Impact Player Options: Aniket Verma, Harsh Dubey, Jaydev Unadkat

Aniket could come in as an impact player if SRH need an additional batter, although that seems slightly unlikely. Harsh Dubey, as a left-arm spinner who can bat, might also be considered in spin-friendly conditions.

If the SunRisers don't want Reddy as their fourth pacer, they could bring in Jaydev Unadkat, who has been a canny operator in home conditions.

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Edited by Sai Krishna