After three consecutive league-stage exits since the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) had made a brilliant comeback to not only qualify for the playoffs but also to make it to the summit clash in IPL 2024. The Australian captain Pat Cummins took the team to their third IPL Final in his maiden appearance for the Orange Army.
However, they could not succeed in the final hurdle to claim the silverware for the second time, following their solitary victory in the IPL 2016. Despite their loss in the ultimate fixture, SRH was expected to continue a similar momentum in the subsequent IPL 2025. But the side failed to deliver a performance anywhere near their previous season’s outing, finishing the edition in sixth place.
Previously, the team had retained five players ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, in the form of Heinrich Klaasen, Cummins, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Nitish Kumar Reddy. While skipper Cummins and South African big-hitter Klaasen had a decent season with 16 wickets and 487 runs, respectively, the franchise’s star opening duo of Head and Abhishek could not carry on with their whirlwind partnerships at the top.
This had significantly affected SRH’s game plan as the pair managed to score 813 runs in the season, which included only five half-centuries and a hundred. Moreover, all-rounder Nitish, who had earned his maiden India call-up after a breakthrough performance in the IPL 2024, also endured a tough outing last season. Therefore, the franchise would look to have a careful consideration before finalising their retention list for the IPL 2026.
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The Hyderabad management would want to free up their purse before heading to the auction, to acquire some new talents and the replacements for their released players. The list features seven such players who have underperformed in the latest season and failed to meet the expectations of the franchise.
Likely SRH Release List:
The veteran Indian pacer, Mohammed Shami, is most likely not to get retained by SRH. The INR 10 crore recruit had a disastrous season in his maiden appearance for the Hyderabad outfit. He managed only six scalps in nine fixtures, at an expensive economy of 11.23 and went on to get dropped from their playing XI due to the miserable form.
Another player, who could not put up an impressive performance in his maiden season for the Orange Army, would be Ishan Kishan. The team had acquired the gloveman’s services for a huge amount of INR 11.25 crore. However, despite scoring an unbeaten ton in SRH’s first fixture of the season, the usual opener could not prove to be as effective at No.3 in the remaining matches of the season.
The franchise had included the wrist spinner, Rahul Chahar, in their squad for INR 3.20 crore. But they barely utilised his spin tricks, as the 26-year-old was seen to bowl just one over for his new franchise in the IPL 2025. Moreover, his solitary appearance for SRH had come against his former franchise Mumbai Indians (MI), which he represented in three seasons of the league since 2019.
Following two cameo appearances for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2022 and IPL 2024, Simarjeet Singh was roped in by SRH ahead of the latest edition of the cash-rich league. But in four fixtures, the bowler managed only half of the wickets and conceded runs at an extremely expensive economy of 14.10. That being said, the franchise would be likely to release him ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.
After two decent seasons for the Punjab Kings (PBKS), Atharva Taide was not provided enough chances by the SRH management in the previous season. Previously, he had notched up 247 runs in nine matches for the Punjab outfit, at a strike rate of 147.02. But Taide is unlikely to make it to the team’s retention list after scoring just 13 runs in his only IPL 2025 appearance against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
On the other hand, the team had shown their faith in the 31-year-old batter, Abhinav Manohar. However, the Karnataka player could not rise to the occasion to produce some impactful performances when SRH needed him the most. He finished the season with just 61 runs in eight matches, striking at a sub-par 100. This sub-par performance might confirm his exit from the team before the upcoming season.
Notably, the management is also likely to release Sachin Baby, who did not get a single fixture to add some runs to SRH’s tally in the IPL 2025. Earlier, the Kerala batter played only 19 matches in his four-year IPL career so far and represented the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The southpaw’s best IPL season came in 2016 for RCB, when he had put up 119 runs in 11 matches, at a fiery strike rate of 150.63.
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