IPL 2026: 'I am not Sure' - Former RCB star raises huge question on SRH ahead of Opener

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Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), led by Captain Pat Cummins, shattered multiple IPL batting and six-hitting benchmarks over the past two IPL seasons but finished without the title, including a 6th-place finish last season.

SRH pioneered explosive totals like 287 against RCB in 2024 and held the top four highest IPL scores by 2025, including 286/6 against the Rajasthan Royals and 278 against KKR last year.

They obliterated six-hitting records, amassing the most in a season (159 in 2024) and dominating against spin, with retained stars like Abhishek Sharma (41 sixes in 2024, most by an Indian) and Heinrich Klaasen fueling the assault.

On JioHotstar's 'Game Plan - Know Your Team' segment, former South Africa star Faf du Plessis dissected SRH's squad dynamics ahead of IPL 2026.

"When I look at Sunrisers, it almost reminds me of the West Indies at the T20 World Cup, an extremely powerful batting lineup. But when I look at the squad, I ask myself, who are my wicket-takers? From a captaincy point of view, who am I throwing the ball to? Obviously, Cummins is the captain, so he is the go-to option," Du Plessis said.

"But apart from him, who are the other guys? Looking at the names, I am not entirely sure who those guys are. So if they are going to have a successful campaign, they will have to bully opposition bowlers and build scoreboard pressure by out-batting teams. Then when the opposition comes out to bat, they look at the scoreboard, chasing 260, they get out," he added.

SRH's star batter Abhishek Sharma had a dip in form in the T20 World Cup. The southpaw was trapped with off-spin bowling across the tournament, until the final, where he scored a fantastic half-century against New Zealand. And Du Plessis held him at high regards, terming the lack of form 'normal'.

"Expect a lot of off-spin, but I feel Abhishek has done fantastically well in IPL cricket. This kind of dip in form is very normal. Every top-performing batter goes through a season like the one he is in now. So it is just a case of staying strong through the challenges, keeping doing the same things, and continuing to focus on your process," Du Plessis said.

The IPL 2026 starts from March 28 and SRH are in action on the very first day as they play defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.