The IPL journey of Sunrisers Hyderabad can be split into two neat halves, evolving from masters of containment under the leadership of David Warner and Kane Williamson to blazing willow-wielders in the tutelage of Pat Cummins. Between 2015 and 2021, they maintained one of the best economy rates in the competition. According to Cricviz impact metrics, their fielders saved 2,028 runs in the field during this period, next best only to Mumbai Indians. In 2018 their attack successively defended 118 and 132, with the latter heist executed in the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
As Warner, one of the tournament’s top overseas run-scorers, went past his prime and spin king Rashid Khan left for Gujarat Titans, Sunrisers Hyderabad looked a pale shadow of their former selves in 2022 and 2023. Cummins heralded a new era, much in keeping with the evolving landscape of T20 cricket, as the orange brigade shed its old skin to transform into a batting beast. In the 2024 edition Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma rattled along at 10.52 per over in the PowerPlay while Heinrich Klaasen dished out 38 sixes as 200+ totals were notched up on six occasions.
The challenge of sustainability reared up its head last year, despite Ishan Kishan plundering a ton on debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad. They posted 286 against Rajasthan Royals, leaving Jofra Archer with figures of 0/76, the most expensive spell in the history of the league. Albeit a four-match losing streak put a giant question mark on the high-risk, high-reward approach. Ian Bishop asked for a sprinkle of smartness. “It’s not about consolidating for five-six overs, but it’s just maybe to manage for about three, four, five balls, maybe even an over, we’re not talking consolidation for long periods.”
Bereft of buffer, busted with the ball to boot
Unlike the Sunrisers Hyderabad of yore, this team simply didn’t possess restraining ability so defeat was inevitable when their middle-order didn’t provide ample cushion; Nitish Reddy the most notable weaklink having never reached fifty in the whole campaign. Mohammad Shami wasn’t able to complement Cummins, who ended up fifth on the list of bowlers with most dots in the group stage. He could’ve fared better on the wickets column given the 20 crore investment although poor catching efficiency in the nascent stages didn’t help matters. Jaydev Unadkat and Eshan Malinga held up their end of the bargain but leg-break Zeeshan Ansari’s economy flirted with ten. It’s no coincidence, then, that Sunrisers Hyderabad turned out to be the worst merchants in the PowerPlay and their death operation also veered off the rails, like conceding 66 runs in the last four overs against Kolkata Knight Riders.
The varied pitch conditions in 2025, starkly different from the roads of 2024, threw a spanner in their works, exposing both the lack of flexibility in their batting template and an adaptability issue with their bowlers. To make the transitioning process smoother across venues, they’ve brought in versatility in the form of all-rounders Shivang Kumar, Liam Livingstone, Jack Edwards, Harsh Dubey and Krains Fuletra. These inclusions give Sunrisers Hyderabad a genuine balance lever instead of relying too heavily on either department to see things through. The playing eleven can now be shaped in various forms and the concern of depth seems to have been addressed, freeing up the firework producers at the top.
No more waiting, Orange Army. Our opening round of fixtures for #TATAIPL are here 😍🔥 pic.twitter.com/yMDH6lm7F6
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) March 11, 2026
Sunrisers Hyderabad are well poised to take advantage of the Impact Player rule thanks to the influx of uncapped Indian talent. Ravichandran Smaran finished as Karnataka’s second-highest run-getter in the latest Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring 433 runs in seven innings at an average of 72.16. Fuletra won the emerging star award in Saurashtra Pro T20 League for his canny left-arm wristspin. Hailed as Madhya Pradesh’s Noor Ahmed, Shivang Kumar is no mug with the bat. When Hardik Pandya scored 133 off 92 balls to usher Baroda to 293/9, Vidarbha pacer Praful Hinge returned 47/1. “After the game, Hardik bhai came and told me that I bowled well,” he gushed. Hailing from the same state, Dubey is fresh off a record-breaking Ranji Trophy season and Sunrisers Hyderabad will hope that young blood administers the missing piece to their puzzle to create the sort of consistency witnessed in their final leg of IPL 2025.
An overseas phenom in the unsteady middle-order
It was an exhibition of ball-striking as they signed off with the second and third-highest totals, a juggernaut that Salil Arora and Livingstone would be keen to propel forward. The England basher has not represented his country in any format since their group-stage exit at the Champions Trophy 2025 but later won the IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore and dominated the run charts in the Hundred while captaining Birmingham Phoenix. ‘’The more responsibility I’ve had in my career, the better I’ve done,’’ he judged his graph recently. His task is cut out at Sunrisers Hyderabad, to make sure the momentum isn’t lost after the holy trinity of southpaws go berserk, a duty Aniket Verma discharged to perfection. There is a point to prove for Livingstone as England didn’t consider him for the T20 World Cup despite scoring 719 runs at an average of 37.84 and a strike rate of 160.13 post IPL 2025.
Another Englishman that Sunrisers Hyderabad have in their ranks is Brydon Carse, a genuine wicket-taking option. Across four matches on the India tour, he completed his full quota in every game and collected nine wickets at an economy of around 8, showing both control and penetration on demanding surfaces. He’s equally effective on the other side of 24 yards, as evidenced by regular cameos in the Vitality Blast. It will be a toss-up between him and Malinga if and when Sunrisers Hyderabad select an overseas quick to partner captain Cummins, but the odds are in favour of the Sri Lankan who bagged 13 wickets in 7 matches of IPL 2025. Belonging to the island too is Kamindu Mendis, an ambidextrous all-rounder whose development as a T20 finisher is as remarkable as his wonder grab at long-off to stun Dewald Brewis.
At the steering wheel, Sunrisers Hyderabad have a man that is no stranger to titles. Can he get the different cogs to function in harmony so that the legacy of Australian stewardship continues at the franchise?
