5 players Sunrisers Hyderabad might release before IPL 2026 auction ft Ishan Kishan

The runners-up of the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Sunrisers Hyderabad, who went though an excellent season thanks to some incredible batting and bowling performances under the captaincy of Pat Cummins, couldn’t repeat the same dominance in the recent edition and ended at the sixth position in the points table to earn just six victories in 14 encounters at a net run rate of -0.241. 

Sunrisers started their campaign with a 44-run IPL victory against the Rajasthan Royals at home before facing four successive defeats in the event. By the time they grabbed three consecutive victories in the business end of the competition against Lucknow, Bengaluru, and Kolkata, it was too late for the side.

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Looking ahead to the 2026 edition, Hyderabad will need to make some changes to the playing eleven and, more importantly, to the squad. They could also leave a few players with an aim to get them back for a low price during the mini auction of the next season.

Let’s take a look at the five players that the Sunrisers Hyderabad might release before IPL 2026, featuring Ishan Kishan.

5. Ishan Kishan

The left-handed Indian wicket-keeper batter, Ishan Kishan, came into the franchise for a huge price of INR 11.25 crore and scored a century in the opening clash against Rajasthan. But he couldn’t hold the same form and rhythm for the rest of the season and ended with just 354 runs in 13 innings at an average of 35.40 and a strike rate of 152.58.

Kishan has scored over 300 runs in the last four editions of the tournament. The SRH management can aim to get the batter back in the squad during the mini auction. On many occasions, the southpaw struggled to get going from the start, which was a concern for the franchise.

4. Mohammed Shami

During a recent interaction with India’s veteran and one of the premier pacers, Mohammed Shami, the fast bowler revealed that he could keep cards and doors open to get selected in other franchises for the next season of the IPL. The right-arm pacer couldn’t find his right line and length in most games and was bashed for several runs, which cost the 2016 champions in the power play.

Shami, who has collected 133 IPL wickets in 119 innings at an average of under 29 and a strike rate of below 20 with an economy rate of 8.63, thanks to the two four-wicket hauls in an inning, has bagged only six scalps in nine innings in 2025 at an economy rate of over 11.

Looking at how Shami has performed in his international career in recent years, it would be wiser for the franchise to leave the Bengal pacer and get him back for a lower price than INR 10 crore.

3. Abhinav Manorhar

Abhinav Manohar, the former Gujarat Titans player, came to the Sunrisers Hyderabad side last season for a price of INR 3.20 crore. He was known for his incredible aggression with the bat in the lower order to help the franchise give a good finish. But he somehow failed to repeat the same thing during the last edition of the event.

Manohar, who clubbed 114 runs in six IPL innings at an average of 19 and a strike rate of over 137 in 2023, got just 61 runs in five innings of the IPL 2025 at a strike rate of only 100. On many occasions, he failed to offer them a good finish in the lower order.

Either the Sunrisers could think of changing the player or bring him back for a lower price for the new edition.

2. Adam Zampa

It’s incredibly hard to believe how the veteran Australian leg spinner, Adam Zampa, despite being one of the successful white-ball bowlers of the national side, hasn’t been able to crack the IPL code yet. Sunrisers brought him after releasing Wanindu Hasaranga. But the 33-year-old in two innings of the IPL 2025 picked up only a couple of wickets at an average of 47 and an economy rate of nearly 12.

Zampa’s T20 experience isn’t new, with him collecting 386 wickets in 307 T20 innings at an average of 21.53 and an economy rate of 7.48. Hyderabad can think of getting better options than the spinner, whom they bagged for a price of INR 2.40 crore.

1. Rahul Chahar

The 26-year-old Indian leg spinner, Rahul Chahar, was at times one of the vital members of the eleven for the Mumbai Indians when they won the IPL 2020. But his form has gone down in the last couple of seasons of the league.

In 2025, he came to the franchise for a price of INR 3.20 crore and could not open his account in the solitary game he played at the Wankhede against the Mumbai franchise. Even in that clash, he bowled just one over, and he could be one of the bowlers to get left out of the side.