Sunrisers Hyderabad, led by Pat Cummins, are set to chase the elusive IPL trophy this season as well. They put on a terrific show in the last edition and finished as the runners-up, losing to Kolkata Knight Riders in the final. Their explosive batting was one of the reasons for them making the final last time around and after retaining the firepower at the top, they've strengthened their bowling as well this time. Ahead of the 18th edition of the IPL, let us have a look at SRH's best playing XI:
The opening combination will not change for the Orange Army. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma will open the innings and look to smash the opponents in the powerplay overs. Both of them are explosive batters and SRH smashed records on the back of their knocks in the previous edition as well. The onus will once again be on 'Travishek' to do the job at the top of the order for SRH.
If the openers are dangerous, the middle-order is no less for SRH. The trio of Ishan Kishan, Nitish Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen can literally blow the opposition bowling attack on any surface and on any given day. Kishan is the new SRH recruit and the left-hander is known to play explosive knocks. Reddy and Klaasen proved their credentials last season and will be keen on continuing in the same vein this time around.
If any opponents get past their top five, SRH might find themselves wanting down the order with Abhinav Manohar at number six. They might struggle to finish on a high on most occasions. At number seven is their captain Pat Cummins who likes to play cameos with the bat in the shortest format. Harshal Patel is no mug with the bat either and at eight, he looks perfect to tonk the ball at the end of the innings.
Cummins and Harshal are expected to deliver eight overs in every match. The rest of the bowlers in their line-up are Mohammed Shami, Adam Zampa and one of Jaydev Unadkat and Simarjeet Singh. Shami is one of the first names in the playing XI and depending on the combination, SRH will go with either Zampa or Rahul Chahar while the fourth pacer in their playing XI could be a toss up between Unadkat and Simarjeet. Unadkat is experienced and could be preferred at the start of the season at least.
With Cummins at number seven, he could be batting a slot higher. However, with the impact player rule, Sachin Baby can always chip in at six or seven if they lose early wickets.
SRH Best XI for IPL 2025: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (WK), Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins (C), Harshal Patel, Adam Zampa, Mohammed Shami, Jaydev Unadkat/Simarjeet Singh
Impact Player - Sachin Baby