Former India batter Aakash Chopra has questioned the lack of depth in SunRisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) bowling department ahead of IPL 2026, starting on March 28. The 2016 champions have suffered a huge blow ahead of their campaign opener against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), as captain Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the first few matches. Cummins’ absence means that SRH will have to start their campaign without a frontline overseas pacer. With less than a week remaining until their clash against RCB, Chopra noted the lack of quality options in SRH’s bowling, especially among the Indian players.
“There will be challenges because the bowling has been dealt a serious blow. Pat Cummins was already not there. So the bowling was already slightly weak, and if Eshan Malinga is also not there, it means you will have to play Brydon Carse, or else you won’t be able to play with Indian bowling,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
The cricketer-turned-commentator believes that even if SRH post a total of 250, their bowling unit is currently fragile enough to concede just as many runs.
“When I see their bowling, it has Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Sakib Hussain, Omkar Tarmale, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, Harshal Patel, Shivam Mavi, Shivang Kumar and Harsh Dubey, but the bowling is weak. How they manage the bowling will be a challenge because if they score 250, they might concede 250. Their bowling looks like that,” the former KKR opener added.
SRH will also be without Australian quick Jack Edwards, who has been ruled out for the entire season. Furthermore, media reports suggest that Sri Lankan pacer Eshan Malinga is also likely to miss the start of the campaign while awaiting fitness clearance.
The 25-year-old Edwards was signed by the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for Rs 3 crore during the IPL auction. The Australian all-rounder was the only uncapped overseas player to be signed up at the 2025 auction.