5 Players SRH might release ahead of IPL 2026 auction

Sunrisers Hyderabad ended IPL 2025 with flashes of promise but also obvious holes of an unsettled middle order at times, seam depth that didn’t always fire and a wage bill boosted by big buys. When franchises trim, they weigh availability, role overlap, recent returns and resale value. Below are five players SRH could realistically consider releasing ahead of IPL 2026.

1. Ishan Kishan

Kishan was SRH’s headline buy at ₹11.25 crore and delivered the kind of match-winning firepower the franchise hoped for in the very first inning of 106* in Hyderabad that helped SRH post 286/6 and a near-century (94*) later in the season. 

Those innings underline his ceiling, but they also highlight the problem that big spikes amid otherwise inconsistent production are an expensive way to chase balance. Keeping Kishan locks up a huge chunk of the purse and an Indian batting slot. If SRH feel they can replace some of his innings-per-season with a slightly cheaper, more dependable top-order profile, releasing him is a logical way to regain auction flexibility. 

2. Mohammad Shami 

Shami remains one of India’s premier seam bowlers, and SRH paid handsomely for that experience. But his IPL 2025 campaign was patchy, with match reports and coverage showing limited returns. There were fitness/availability concerns during the season as well. 

For franchises juggling overseas slots and the need for a consistent death-over operator, a high-cost seamer whose season returns are modest becomes a release candidate, especially if the team plans to reinvest in a younger, durable Indian quick or buy a full-season overseas option. He might see himself get released from the team.

3. Rahul Chahar

Chahar arrived as SRH’s wrist-spin option to pair with other spinners, but his IPL 2025 usage was inconsistent, and he spent stretches on the bench. He’s a proven middle-overs enforcer across previous IPL seasons and was an auction purchase of ₹3.2 crore, but when a squad wants to prioritise variety (left-arm wrist spin, leg-spin plus an overseas option) and free an Indian slot for a specialist batter, a rotation-prone legspinner is an obvious shortlist name. 

Chahar’s career record keeps his resale value healthy, which makes releasing him an auction-play that teams use to generate purse room.

4. Abhinav Manohar

Manohar is the archetype of a league-useful finisher in a powerful middle-order hitter with a good T20 strike rate in domestic cricket and a 2025 IPL role as a depth batter. He played sporadically for SRH and finished the season with just 61 runs off five innings, and that too at a strike rate of just 100. 

For SRH, keeping Manohar means preserving a decent bench bat, which promises potential but couldn’t deliver and releasing him frees an Indian slot and a mid-tier budget to buy a specialist finisher or an impact bowling all-rounder.

5. Harshal Patel

Harshal returned to IPL 2025 as a strike bowler for SRH and had important spells. He also had plenty in the wickets tally to show in his name. However, they came at a cost that did not seem viable. 

Still, SRH have had to manage death-over-economy and Harshal’s style of high strike, occasional expensive overs and create pick-and-choose value. He’s a player who commands attention at auction, and releasing him is less about SRH thinking he’s bad and more about converting a known asset into purse space for a specialist front-line seamer or an elite hitter of the ball.

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