IPL 2026 Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Best Retained Players List

Pat Cummins to remain as Captain in our best retained squad players list for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. 

From being the Runner-up in 2024 to finishing in the bottom half of the points table in IPL 2025, it has been a drastic turnaround for the Men in Orange, Sunrisers Hyderabad. It is not like they had a sub-par team this year. If any, their batting lineup had only improved this year. But given the brand of cricket SRH plays, it is the Live by the sword and die by the sword attitude, there are only two possible outcomes possible just like a coin.

The SRH team was primarily devoid of form from their batters this year. Barring Heinrich Klaasen, who continued his form as a middle-order batter, the SRH team’s key batters, Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, and Nitish Reddy, didn’t have the best of outings this year, with many failures in the batting. This was the main reason why SRH weren’t the best self that they were last year. Add to it the form of Pat Cummins and Mohammed Shami in the bowling. Both looked below par, and that added fuel to the fire in SRH’s overall performance.

With the Sunrisers Hyderabad team showing a below-par performance in IPL 2025, the focus will now be on IPL 2026. They will now have to rectify their mistakes, and focus on filling their gaps. So, in this article, we deep dive into the complete existing squad of the Sunrisers Hyderabad team, and find out the best retained squad and released players list for SRH for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.

SRH Retained Players 2026 Decoded

Talking about the players whom SRH considers a core, and will be retained without a second thought, we are looking at Travis Head and Aniket Verma among batters. Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen among Wicket-keepers. Abhishek Sharma and Nitish Reddy among the All-rounders. Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, and Zeeshan Ansari among the bowlers. These 10 players form a core of SRH, and will be retained without a second thought. These players also showed with their performance that they will play a key role for SRH in the coming years.

With 10 confirmed names, including 3 overseas players, expect SRH to also retain Kamindu Mendis and Ehsan Malinga among two more Overseas players. With 5 names retained among Overseas players, expect SRH to release the likes of Wiaan Mulder and Adam Zampa among Overseas players. While Zampa was injured, and ruled out after a few matches, Wiaan didn’t look threatening to be able to block a spot for himself. So, in all except SRH, to retain 5 Overseas players.

In terms of other Indian players, expect SRH to retain the likes of Abhinav Manohar, Atharva Taide, Harsh Dubey, and Simarjeet Singh. These four players are young, and have given glimpses of what they can bring to the table, and will be looked at by SRH from a grooming perspective. But other than these four, expect SRH to release the likes of Sachin Baby and Rahul Chahar. These two didn’t play much part in 2025, and don’t seem to add much value to the team. 

IPL 2026 Best Released Players List for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) 

1. Sachin Baby
2. Adam Zampa (o)
3. Mohammed Shami
4. Rahul Chahar
5. Wiaan Mulder (o)

But if there is one player whom SRH will debate whether to retain or not, it is Mohammed Shami. Ever since Mohammed Shami returned from the injury, he hasn’t looked his old self. His pace has diminished. His action seems different, and with the inability to swing much, Shami looks like an ordinary bowler. Such is his state that Shami has also been dropped from the Indian team. With such a situation for Shami, it looks unlikely SRH will retain Shami for such a hefty price. It will be better to release him, and then maybe look to buy him back at a lower price. 

IPL 2026 Best Retained Squad and Players List for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) 

Batters: Abhinav Manohar, Aniket Verma, Atharva Taide, & Travis Head (o)

WKs: Heinrich Klaasen (o) & Ishan Kishan

All-rounders: Abhishek Sharma, Harsh Dubey, Kamindu Mendis (o) & Nitish Reddy

Bowlers: Ehsan Malinga (o), Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Pat Cummins (o&c), Simarjeet Singh & Zeeshan Ansari

So, that’s about the best retained players list for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for IPL 2026. Overall, expect Sunrisers Hyderabad to retain around 16 players, including 5 Overseas players. If they do that, they will have around  15-20 Cr more, to be able to buy 8-9 more players. SRH’s core is still intact, which is a good thing. All they need to do right now is strengthen their bowling by adding young Indian names to the team. 

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