Sunrisers Hyderabad Retention List 2026: Who Stays, Who Goes?

After a bad performance in the IPL 2025 season, Sunrisers Hyderabad is looking at a huge reshuffle before the IPL 2026 mini auction. Among the players to be retained are performers like captain Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, and Nitish Kumar Reddy while there is still a question mark over the fate of high-priced players such as Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan, Mohammed Shami, and Harshal Patel.

The team’s management decided to rethink their squad strategy as they ended up sixth in the 2025 season. The officials are concentrating on keeping a core of trustworthy performers while releasing money for new acquisitions in the next mini auction.

Pat Cummins and Travis Head are likely to be the spine of the Sunrisers team. The Australian pair will continue along the leadership and stabilization paths, providing the next season with a blend of aggression and tactical control.

The Indian all-rounders Abhishek Sharma and Nitish Kumar Reddy are anticipated to be continued, which mirrors the franchise’s commitment to developing with all-rounders the local talent with the ability to perform consistently.

Ishan Kishan, on the other hand, who was bought for Rs 11.25 crore, had a rollercoaster ride in terms of form throughout the 2025 season. The Sunrisers might set him free to rejoin the auction at a lower price point, which would give them more flexibility to fortify other areas of the team.

While the combination of Klaasen as the leading scorer for the team and release is strange, it might happen. His high salary of Rs 23 crore is a reason for the team to think about the accrued auction funds his release would result in, and such funds can play a crucial role in shaping a well-balanced squad for 2026.

Fast bowlers Mohammed Shami and Harshal Patel experienced a lack of rhythm last season. It would be a decision that would save the Sunrisers Rs 18 crore on the one hand and at the same time, would create room for the team to attract the younger, in-form bowlers in the lead-up to the mini-auction.

Injuries and high economy rates are also likely to cause the spin options Adam Zampa and Simarjeet Singh to be released. The management of Hyderabad Sunrisers is going to search for reliable alternatives in the spin and fast bowling departments.

The new players Aniket Verma and Ravichandran Smaran showed great potential in the IPL 2025 with their fearless batting skills and might be the ones to be kept. Their presence agrees with the long-term aim of Hyderabad Sunrisers to create a team composed of talented young players on low-cost contracts.

The release of the expensive players could raise the SRH auction budget by more than Rs 23 crores, giving the team the power to bid strongly for the players it wants in IPL 2026. This strategy represents a very clear direction: combine experience and youth, keep the leadership and local talent, and get rid of those who either drain the finances or don’t perform.

The fans are now eagerly waiting for the official list of players retained and released by SRH, as this will mark the beginning of a strategic mini auction in the next few weeks.