IPL 2026 auction He went to Abu Dhabi Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) With one of the most explosive and balanced squads on paper, combining a retained core of proven match winners with a number of smart additions to bolster their batting depth and all-round options. With a purse spend of 119.55 crores and only 5.45 crores remaining, the Orange Army has clearly struggled with power hitters and multi-dimensional cricketers for the new season.
Sunrisers Hyderabad retain a power-packed core and add more batting muscle
SRH’s strategy revolved around consistency at the top and in the lead-up group, retaining the blockbuster trio. Heinrich Klaasen, Pat Cummins, head of Travis and Abhishek Sharmathey all remain among the highest paid players on the staff. Klaasen heads the salary sheet at Rs 23 crore, Cummins at Rs 18 crore and left-handed opener pair Head and Abhishek close at Rs 14 crore each, underscoring the franchise’s commitment to an aggressive, top-heavy batting template supported by an all-round captain.
The think tank doubled down on maintaining this philosophy Ishan Kishi 11.25 crore and Harshal Patel 8 crore, it gives SRH a domestic wicketkeeper-batsman who can swim in order and an experienced Indian death specialist who bolsters the lower-order batting. Nitish Kumar Reddy‘s retention at 6 crore further strengthens India’s all-rounder core Brydon Carse, Kamindu Mendis and Tough Dubey offer seam, spin and batting flexibility in the middle and lower order with relatively economical price tags.
To complement this retained core, SRH went after it aggressively Liam Livingstone13 crores for the England all-rounder after he initially went unsold in the first round of the auction. The acquisition of Livingstone creates a batting spine of Head, Abhishek, Kishan, Klaasen and Livingstone who can attack in all phases of the innings, adding a fearsome middle-order performer and a useful spin option. The franchise also picked the Australian all-rounder Jack Edwards 3 crore and for domestic dough Salil Arora 1.5 crore, both are seen as impact players over the long season or value additions to cover injuries.
On the bowling front, SRH have protected their left arm Jaydev Unadkat 1 crore and Sri Lanka fast Eshan Malinga 1.2 crore, maintaining expertise and diversity in speed units. A young spinner Zeeshan Ansari and continues at the level of 0.4 crore Aniket Verma and Ravichandran Smaran 30 lakh budget batting options each, ensuring stability in the squad and in-house depth. This mix of high-ticket stars and low-cost Indian role players allowed SRH to fill all 25 squad spots while staying within the 125 crore purse.
Also READ: IPL 2026 Auction: Complete list of sold players with prices
SRH Players Salaries in IPL 2026
SRH have eight foreign players and a total of 25 cricketers, with their salary structure clearly skewed towards top-class firepower and leadership. Below is the breakdown of player prices for IPL 2026:
| S.No. | Player | Selling Price (₹) |
| 1 | Heinrich Klaasen | 23 million |
| 2 | Pat Cummins | 18 million |
| 3 | Head of Travis | 14 million |
| 4 | Abhishek Sharma | 14 million |
| 5 | Liam Livingstone | 13 million |
| 6 | Ishan Kishi | 11 cries 25 lacs |
| 7 | Harshal Patel | 8 million |
| 8 | Nitish Kumar Reddy | 6 million |
| 9 | Jack Edwards | 3 million |
| 10 | Salil Arora | 1 cry 50 lakes |
| 11 | Eshan Malinga | 1 cry 20 million |
| 12 | Brydon Carse | 1 million |
| 13 | Jaydev Unadkat | 1 million |
| 14 | Kamindu Mendis | 75 thousand |
| 15 | Shivam Mavi | 75 thousand |
| 16 | Zeeshan Ansari | 40 thousand |
| 17 | Onkar Tarmale | 30 thousand |
| 18 | Amit Kumar | 30 thousand |
| 19 | Shivang Kumar | 30 thousand |
| 20 | Crains Fuletra | 30 thousand |
| 21 | Aniket Verma | 30 thousand |
| 22 | Sakib Hussain | 30 thousand |
| 23 | Ravichandran Smaran | 30 thousand |
| 24 | Dust Hinge | 30 thousand |
| 25 | Tough Dubey | 30 thousand |
Also READ: IPL 2026 Auction: Complete list of unsold players with base price
