IPL 2025: Predicted XI of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for the season
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) were crowned the champions of the IPL 2016 season by beating Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final. Notably, they have been one of the most competitive teams in the Indian Premier League.
Known for their exceptional bowling line-up and balance in the squad, the Orange Army have consistently made their mark since their inception in 2013. In recent years, the Orange Army has focused on rebuilding their squad, to make a bid for their second IPL title.
They reached the second final in IPL 2018 season but lost to CSK in the showdown. In the last season, they reached the final for the third time but surrendered at the hands of KKR in the showdown. retained the likes of Pat Cummins, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klassen, and Nitish Kumar Reddy ahead of the 2025 Indian Premier League Mega Auction held at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia recently.
With key retentions and strategic buys at the IPL 2025 mega auction, SRH have well and truly assembled a strong team capable of challenging for the coveted prize in the upcoming season. Let’s take a look at the predicted playing XI of SRH for the season.
Openers: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma
Sunrisers Hyderabad will rely on the explosive opening pair of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma to provide strong starts in the upcoming season. The left-right combination who brought a mix of aggression and stability to the top order in the last season will look to repeat the same this time.
SRH who retained Travis Head for INR 14 crore ahead of the auction will bank on his ability to set the tone at the top. On the other hand, Abhishek Sharma who was retained by SRH for INR 14 crore ahead of the auction has shown promise in the IPL. He scored 426 runs in IPL 2024 season, including three half-centuries, at a strike rate of 140.87.
Middle-order: Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abhinav Manohar
Ishan Kishan was sold for INR 11.25 Crore to SRH after Mumbai Indians (MI) didn’t exercise their Right to Match (RTM) card. Although Heinrich Klaasen will be preferred as the main wicketkeeper, Ishan Kishan is expected to play the role of a pure batter, which adds plenty of firepower to their already strong batting line-up.
The left-hander has the potential to accelerate the innings in the middle overs. Kishan scored 320 runs in IPL 2024 at a strike rate of 148.84, including a fifty. The South African wicketkeeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen was one of the standout players for SRH last season.
He scored 479 runs at an average of 49 and a strike rate of 171.07, laced with four half-centuries. The Proteas’ wicketkeeper was retained by a whopping INR 23 crore ahead of the auction. Abhinav Manohar who is a hard-hitting lower middle-order batter is yet to unleash his full power in the IPL. He was released by Gujarat Titans ahead of the auction. However, the Sunrisers are expected to bring the best out of him.
All-rounder: Nitish Reddy, Pat Cummins
The 2016 IPL champions retained Nitish Kumar Reddy for the 2025 IPL season for INR 6 crore. The all-rounder was named the Emerging Player of the Year in IPL 2024, where he mustered 303 runs and took three wickets. Notably, he is expected to dictate terms as an all-rounder in the next season as well.
SRH did the right thing to rope in the top talent and it will be quite interesting to see how he will go about his work. The Sunrisers retained their skipper Pat Cummins ahead of the auction for INR 18 crore. The potent fast bowler and handy lower-order batter took 63 wickets and scored 515 runs including a fifty.
Bowlers: Rahul Chahar, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami, Adam Zampa
SRH roped in the crafty leg-spinner Rahul Chahar for INR 3.2 crore at the auction. The former Punjab Kings’ player has accounted for 75 wickets in 78 IPL games at an economy of 7.63. He is a wicket-taking bowler in the middle overs, capable of breaking partnerships with his variations.
He has ability to attack during the middle overs can slow down the opposition’s scoring rate and shift momentum towards the team’s favour and SRH are expected to get benefitted from his services. SRH made a brilliant signing by securing the services of Harshal Patel for INR 8 crore at the auction.
Harshal Patel thrives at bowling in the death overs, with a repertoire of slower balls. Besides that, he can bowl cutters and yorkers and is the bowler to watch out for in the next season. Notably, he finished the IPL 2024 season as the leading wicket-taker with 24 wickets in 14 matches.
Mohammed Shami is one of the best powerplay bowlers in the IPL. He is known for his accuracy and ability to generate movement with the new ball. He often picks up early wickets, setting the tone for the bowling attack. GT didn’t use RTM on the veteran pacer and SRH bought him for INR 10 crore.
Adam Zampa is another excellent spin option for SRH. On pitches favoring spin, he can dominate the middle overs and complement Rahul Chahar to form a potent spin duo. Let’s not forget that he has a proven track record of thriving on slow and turning tracks. Zampa who was bought for INR 2.4 crore at the auction, took 29 wickets in 20 games.
