3 Sunrisers Hyderabad players who might be benched in IPL 2026

The Sunrisers Hyderabad have been a key part of revolutionising T20 cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL) with their blistering batting style, which started in 2024. In the 2026 auction, they have reinforced their side with names like Liam Livingstone, who adds even more firepower to the middle while also adding depth to their squad.

With their team almost settled despite injuries to skipper Pat Cummins, Eshan Malinga and Jack Edwards (ruled out of the season), there are still few players who could feature less prominently for the Orange Army in the upcoming edition of the marquee 20-over tournament, which gets underway on March 28 in Bengaluru.

Here are 3 SRH players who might be benched for entire IPL 2026:

3. Kamindu Mendis (Batting all-rounder)

Kamindu Mendis has been one of Sri Lanka’s most prolific batters in the longer formats, but the T20 game is one that he has yet to fully click with. An elegant strokemaker, Kamindu is a middle-order batter who faces very stiff competition in the SRH middle order. It might not be easy for him to find regular game time due to the names that he has to compete with.

Aside from his batting, Kamindu’s ambidextrous bowling is also an added plus. Being able to bowl both left-arm spin and off-spin adds variety to any team he plays for. But despite this, with the batting prowess in the SRH team, Kamindu’s chances at playing stand really low.

2. Krains Fuletra (Left-arm spinner)

Krains Fuletra was signed by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2026, after a successful stint with the team as a net bowler in 2025. The left-arm wrist spinner was picked up after his performances in the Saurashtra Pro T20 League, where he picked up 10 wickets in nine innings, at a respectable economy rate of seven. He has played two T20s for Saurashtra.

Ahead of Fuletra in the pecking order is Madhya Pradesh’s Shivang Kumar, another unorthodox bowler, who is also capable with the bat. Shivang has consistently featured for his state side of late, even picking up a fifer in the Vijay Hazare Trophy against Karnataka. Fuletra also finds his place under threat from leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari, who has already made his debut for the franchise in 2025.

1. Ravichandran Smaran (Top-order batter)

Ravichandran Smaran has been one of the breakout stars in India’s domestic circuit. Topping the run charts in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy was a major step in his steady rise to all-format prominence for Karnataka. He was signed as an injury replacement for Adam Zampa in 2025, but before he could play a game, he himself picked up an injury. He was retained by SRH for the 2026 season.

Srmaran finds himself competing for a spot in a packed batting unit, which contains multiple stars. A middle-order batter, Smaran faces stiff competition from the likes of Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Liam Livingstone and Aniket Verma, players who are already established names at SRH.