On Saturday, the retention list of IPL 2026 was revealed, and it was the time for all franchises to reduce their squad sizes before the mini auction. Besides the question of who will Sunrisers Hyderabad buy, each team’s fans are also having the same question. The fans will be wondering about the SRH target players.
Just before the IPL retentions, Sunrisers Hyderabad made an all-cash deal and exchanged Mohammed Shami to Lucknow Super Giants. Then, they excluded the players Abhinav Manohar, Simarjeet Singh, Atharva Taide, Sachin Baby, Rahul Chahar, Wiaan Mulder, and Adam Zampa from the list of the retained players of SRH 2026.
The remaining purse for the SRH is INR 25.5 crore, which is the third highest among all the teams. Hence, they will need to strengthen their squad for the next season. We present five players who could be the targets of the SRH auction in IPL 2026.
Sunrisers Hyderabad May Target in the IPL 2026 Auction
Cameron Green
If you are asking yourself who is the player that SRH will buy at the IPL 2026 auction, then Cameron Green is likely to be the number one. The Australian all-rounder will be among the players targeted by SRH. They might not have a purse as big as Kolkata Knight Riders And Chennai Super Kings, but also they do not have to fill many gaps.
Sunrisers Hyderabad can go for Green and make him the middle-order player to compensate for the loss of one or two foreign bowlers. The player’s versatility as a fast bowler will be taking advantage of. Moreover, the presence of Aussie teammates Pat Cummins and Travis Head will be a great thing for him.
Anrich Nortje
Sunrisers Hyderabad might be in need of another solid pace option if Cummins keeps struggling with his injury and Brydon Carse’s fitness record remains the same. Anrich Nortje could be the perfect pace bowler for them with the potential to be really fast and furious when at his best.
The South African pacer has just come back from a long injury layoff and looked quite good during the CSA T20 Challenge season where he picked up eight wickets from four games. So, Nortje can be expected to be among the SRH IPL 2026 auction targets.
Andre Russell
After an emotional farewell, Andre Russell was released from his contract with Kolkata Knight Riders. Although he has not been at his best lately and is nearing retirement, he can still be a valuable player for another couple of years. It wouldn’t be surprising if he were among the players targeted by the SRH.
With the addition of Russell, the Sunrisers have the option to turn their already strong batting order into an even greater threat. On the other hand, his bowling will give them more tactical options. It would be very sensible to have Russell among the SRH target players.
Wanindu Hasaranga
Sunrisers Hyderabad have parted ways with Adam Zampa and Rahul Chahar. Their wrist-spin option now is Zeeshan Ansari, who is still quite new to professional cricket. The franchise may want to approach this by getting one foreign spinner for the leg spin. Who will it be that SRH gets to fill this position may be a fun guessing game.
Wanindu Hasaranga would perhaps be one of the top players that SRH targets. The Sri Lankan bowler did not have a successful season with the Rajasthan Royals this year, but still, he is considered one of the best in the market.
R Sanjay Yadav
Abhinav Manohar was also included in the list of players that were released by the SRH for 2026. This implies that the team may want to look for an Indian batsman in the lower-middle order. An all-rounder would fit in better with the existing lineup.
R Sanjay Yadav could possibly be among the auction targets of SRH 2026 due to his versatility. He is a hard hitter and had a remarkable stint in the Tamil Nadu Premier League this year. Besides, he provides the team with a bowling option as he bowls left-arm orthodox.
