SRH playing XI for IPL 2026: Ishan to lead, who will fill Pat Cummins void?

Hyderabad, 24 March 2026 — When Sunrisers Hyderabad step onto the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on 28 March to open IPL 2026 against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, they will do so with a new interim skipper and a reshaped pace unit still absorbing the absence of inspirational captain Pat Cummins.

Cummins, who transformed SRH’s DNA with an unapologetically aggressive brand of cricket that carried the franchise to the IPL 2024 final, will miss the season’s first exchanges. In his stead, India wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan—fresh from a Player-of-the-Tournament-calibre T20 World Cup 2026 where he amassed 317 runs at a blistering 193.29 strike-rate—has been handed the armband. The 27-year-old’s leadership debut will be watched closely, but the larger question confronting the Orange Army is how the bowling group compensates for its Australian talisman.

The answer, at least for the early skirmishes, lies in a recalibrated attack blending experience with breakout promise. Harshal Patel, joint-top wicket-taker for SRH last season with 16 scalps, will spearhead the pace corps. He will be partnered by Sri Lanka’s Eshan Malinga—cleared by SLC after claiming 13 wickets in seven games on IPL debut in 2025—and the evergreen Jaydev Unadkat, whose 110 wickets in 112 IPL matches provide ballast to an otherwise green seam department. England left-arm quick David Payne, signed for ₹1.5 crore as a replacement for the injured Jack Edwards, adds depth.

The spin cupboard, once headlined by Rashid Khan, now belongs to 22-year-old Zeeshan Ansari, who is set to be deployed as the team’s Impact Player. Left-arm orthodox all-rounder Harsh Dubey, retained after an impressive 2025 cameo, offers control through the middle.

Batting depth was a priority addressed in December’s mini-auction, where SRH entered with ₹25.50 crore and ten slots. Their marquee buy, England’s Liam Livingstone, arrived for ₹13 crore after an underwhelming title defence with RCB and will slot into the middle order alongside uncapped sensation Aniket Verma. Verma, who hammered 236 runs at 166.20 in IPL 2025, provides the late-order fireworks coach Daniel Vettori craves.

At the top, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma renew their explosive partnership. Head’s T20 World Cup ended in Australian disappointment, yet his IPL record keeps him entrenched as an opener. Abhishek, holder of the ICC’s No. 1 T20I batting ranking, endured three ducks in that global event before a morale-boosting fifty in the final; SRH will hope that innings signals a return to free-scoring form.

Heinrich Klaasen, freed from international duty, keeps wicket and anchors the middle order, while emerging all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy—Emerging Player of IPL 2024—offers balance with both bat and ball.

With Cummins’ expected mid-season return pencilled in, Hyderabad’s early fortunes hinge on whether Ishan’s captaincy and the retooled attack can maintain the high-wire aggression that has become the franchise’s hallmark. The IPL 2026 opener against RCB will offer the first clue.

Predicted SRH XI v RCB, 28 March: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (c), Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Liam Livingstone, Aniket Verma, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Eshan Malinga, Jaydev Unadkat. Impact Player: Zeeshan Ansari.