Vibe in one line

A batting powerhouse that keeps it simple and sixy.

What's changed in 2026

There are teams that adapt to change and others that ignite the change in the first place. SRH arguably fall in the second category, with their 2024 season truly pushing the barriers of a safe T20 total. Ten years on from their solitary title triumph, few teams boast of a metamorphosis from a safe batting unit to an uber-attacking one of this kind.

Their explosive batting core has been kept intact. As if it wasn't menacing enough, Liam Livingstone's signing at INR 13 crore has only bolstered their power-hitting stocks, while the exciting Salil Arora lends the option of a domestic finisher. Mohammed Shami was traded out to Lucknow Super Giants in a cash deal after a below-par 2025 season, but his potential replacements are all greenhorns with little to no proven IPL experience.

The biggest spanner comes in the form of Pat Cummins' initial unavailability - far from ideal for a franchise that found a stable leader after a period of turmoil and instability. In saying that, a rejuvenated Ishan Kishan couldn't have perhaps asked for a better time to take charge, even if on an interim basis.

Team Identity

Watch the ball, swing as hard as you can. If you lose an early wicket, keep going hard. If you lose another, go harder. That's the SRH mantra.

Just about every batter expected to front up in their core XII packs a serious punch. That SRH endured a middling 2025 season ought not to see them deviate from their no-holds-barred approach.

However, there are question marks and then some over whether their bowlers can avoid copping the same treatment. In Cummins' absence, there is not one name that stands out as a bankable option with the ball for the Sunrisers, either from a wicket-taking or a defensive perspective.

Core XII (if all fit)

Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Liam Livingstone, Aniket Verma, Pat Cummins (c), Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari/Shivang Kumar

Injury/Availability Watch

Cummins has played one match since July 14, 2025 - the Adelaide Test where he duly led Australia as they retained the Ashes. He has since been confined to the sidelines again and while he will miss the initial stages at least of this tournament, he has linked up with the squad ahead of their opener.

Elsewhere, the injured Jack Edwards has been replaced by England's David Payne. Sri Lankan seamer Eshan Malinga, who suffered a dislocated shoulder prior to the T20 World Cup, has joined the squad after clearing a fitness test, and could compete with Brydon Carse to fill in Cummins' shoes.

What they do better than most

Powerplay batting and six-hitting

Few opening pairs are as destructive as Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma. And despite SRH's lackluster 2025 campaign, their top-three struck at a rate of 174.89 - the highest among the ten teams. The scoring rate of their opening pairs in IPL 2025 stood at 11.47 - comfortably the highest again, while it was a 171-run stand off 75 deliveries between Head and Abhishek that set the tone for SRH razing down a 246-run target against Punjab Kings in Hyderabad.

SRH also top the six-charts since IPL 2024, clearing the fence a whopping 298 times over the last two seasons. It is a stat that sums up the ways of this team.

A player that changes their ceiling

Ishan Kishan

After an inspired comeback into the Indian team and a World Cup medal to his name, there is genuine optimism around Kishan enjoying a standout campaign. Not least because he strengthens an already devastating batting lineup and arrives in a rich vein of form. Since the last IPL, Kishan has struck a six or a four once every three deliveries in T20s, while amassing 1049 runs at an average of 47.68 and a strike-rate of 202.11.

In his current form, Kishan liberates the unshackled Travishek combination further. He could comfortably open up ideal entry points for Heinrich Klaasen and Livingstone and if the lot gets going, 300 may not be wishful thinking after all.

What could trip them up

Bowling - across phases

And this is a massive worry. SRH have conceded the most 200+ totals in the IPL since the start of the 2022 cycle (19). The absence of a Powerplay banker was jarringly apparent last year, reflecting in an economy rate of 10.29 in this phase - the second-worst behind LSG. The likes of Sakib Hussain, Onkar Tarmale and even Shivam Mavi have a serious job on hand at a home ground that can be unforgiving for bowlers.

It doesn't help the Sunrisers that they lack a spinner of proven pedigree too. By all metrics, they were the worst performing spin attack in IPL 2025, accounting for just 15 wickets at 47.33 apiece and an economy rate of 10.00. They have moved towards some surprise elements in Krains Fuletra and Shivang Kumar, but Harsh Dubey's control, built on solid red-ball pedigree, could just prove to be crucial.

The one to watch

Shivang Kumar

There's a buzz around this left-arm wrist-spinner from Madhya Pradesh, not least because he can also bat, accentuating the novelty factor around him. 10 wickets in just 3 Vijay Hazare Trophy games - including a five-fer against giants Karnataka - only swells that buzz further and here is a trump card SRH might be waiting to unleash at some stage this season.

One game to circle

It's hard to look beyond the opener against reigning champions RCB, which could just set the tone for the rest of the season - both for SRH and the IPL on the whole. It is imperative that they stumble upon their best bowling combination in the early stages of the tournament, with their roster designed - by chance or choice - for the batters to do the heavy lifting.