Aakash Chopra sounds alarm on Sunrisers Hyderabad: 250 won’t guarantee a win in IPL 2026

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have been hit hard by injuries, with their regular captain Pat Cummins set to be unavailable from the start of the Indian Premier League 2026. SRH haven’t confirmed his comeback date and there is a possibility of him missing the 19th season. Cummins is recovering from a back injury and hasn’t played cricket in 2026.

He missed the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, and his absence will impact the bowling firepower of the franchise, considering his value as a pacer. Meanwhile, former India player Aakash Chopra has highlighted the weakness of the one-time champions. He pointed out their weak bowling unit, saying that they can concede 250 runs after posting 250 runs on the board.

“They will be under pressure due to challenges, as their bowling unit is not looking strong ahead of the new season. Pat Cummins is not there, and SRH will miss him. Eshan Malinga will also miss out and SRH are expected to rely on Brydon Carse, or else you won’t be able to take the field with Indian bowling,” Chopra said.

“Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, Harshal Patel, Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Sakib Hussain, Omkar Tarmale, Harshal Patel, Shivam Mavi, Shivang Kumar and Harsh Dubey are part of SRH, but the bowling is not looking strong. If they score 250, they might concede 250. Their bowling is weak,” he added.

Ishan Kishan will lead the Sunrisers due to Cummins’s injury, but the team management hasn’t announced a replacement for the skipper. It remains to be seen how many games Cummins will play if he arrives in India for the tournament.

Kishan was Jharkhand’s captain when they won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, following which he was recalled to the Indian team and was also given a place in the T20 World Cup 2026 squad.

Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma is the vice captain of the franchise. The southpaw started his IPL career with the Delhi Capitals in 2018. He joined SRH before IPL 2019 and has been a regular player for them since then. He has scored 1753 runs for the Men in Orange.