IPL 2026: SRH’s Auction Masterplan – Is Matheesha Pathirana the Ideal Replacement for Mohammed Shami?
IPL 2026: Sunrisers Hyderabad prepares for the mini-auction with a strategic plan to replace Mohammed Shami. SRH is reportedly targeting Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana as their key death-overs specialist. Check full retained and released player lists.
Matheesha Pathirana, the Sri Lankan speedster, is rumoured to be on SRH’s radar as a potential replacement for Mohammed Shami ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction.
The IPL 2026 mini-auction is going to be in Abu Dhabi on December 16, and all ten franchises are working on their strategies where Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) seems to be the one that has made up its mind.
The team that stood in the sixth place last season has already kept almost all its key players before the auction. However, one major operational change is the transfer of the experienced pacer Mohammed Shami to Lucknow Super Giants. Shami had a bad IPL 2025 season, and that was the main reason for SRH not to take him back.Now, SRH is looking to fill that frontline pacer slot with a strong overseas option.
SRH Eyes Matheesha Pathirana
SRH enters the auction with a purse of ₹25.50 crore and can buy a minimum of three and a maximum of ten players. But replacing Shami with a quality Indian pacer will be tough — the mini-auction doesn’t offer many prominent domestic fast bowlers.
This is why SRH is reportedly targeting Sri Lankan speedster Matheesha Pathirana, who was released by Chennai Super Kings ahead of the auction. Known globally for his deadly yorkers and exceptional death-overs skills, Pathirana is expected to attract heavy bidding.
Sources suggest SRH is even willing to spend a large portion of its purse to secure the young pacer. Despite being active in international cricket, Pathirana flourished under MS Dhoni’s mentorship at CSK and has earned a reputation as the “junior Malinga” for his slinging action and accuracy.
His ability to control batters in the middle overs and dominate the slog overs makes him a perfect fit for SRH’s strategic needs.
SRH Retained Players for IPL 2026
Overseas (6):
Pat Cummins (Captain) ✈️, Heinrich Klaasen ✈️ (Wicketkeeper), Travis Head ✈️, Kamindu Mendis ✈️, Ishaan Malinga ✈️, Brydon Carse ✈️.
Indian Players (9):
Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper), Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Aniket Verma, Harsh Dubey, Smaran Ravichandran, Zeeshan Ansari.
SRH Released Players
Abhinav Manohar, Adam Zampa ✈️, Atharva Taide (Wicketkeeper), Rahul Chahar, Sachin Baby, Simarjeet Singh, Wiaan Mulder ✈️.
If Pathirana enters SRH at the 2026 mini-auction, he could become the franchise’s prime death-overs weapon — and possibly the key to a stronger campaign.
