Former India batter Abhinav Mukund has raised serious concerns about Sunrisers Hyderabad’s squad composition ahead of IPL 2026, pointing out a significant imbalance between their batting and bowling units. The former Tamil Nadu cricketer, now a respected commentator, believes SRH possess one of the most dangerous batting line-ups in the competition—but their bowling could prove to be a major liability.

On paper, Sunrisers Hyderabad boast explosive batting options capable of dominating any attack, especially on flat surfaces like Hyderabad. However, Mukund feels the contrast between their batting strength and bowling depth is too stark to ignore.

“If their batting is a 10, their bowling is a 1. Their batting will hurt teams and is probably the strongest in the competition. That alone makes them dangerous, especially at home. But the drop-off in bowling is massive,” Abhinav Mukund said during a discussion on ESPNCricinfo.

SRH’s bowling attack for IPL 2026 includes Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Brydon Carse, Shivam Mavi and a few relatively lesser-known names. To make matters worse, they will be without key pacers Pat Cummins and Eshan Malinga in the initial phase due to fitness concerns, further weakening an already inexperienced unit.

Mukund also questioned the franchise’s auction strategy, particularly their decision-making around team balance. He pointed out that despite having a strong core of batters, SRH continued to invest heavily in additional batting firepower instead of reinforcing their bowling attack.

“You had a big purse at the auction, but you still spent on players like Liam Livingstone despite already having Klaasen, Head and Abhishek Sharma. That’s surprising,” he added.

Another concern highlighted by Abhinav Mukund is the lack of experience in SRH’s bowling group. According to him, several players are yet to establish themselves even at the domestic level, which raises doubts about their ability to perform consistently in a high-pressure tournament like the IPL.

“They have bowlers who are not even regulars in their first-class teams. In the past, SRH succeeded because of bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan. Now, it looks like Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat will have to carry the attack,” he noted.

With Pat Cummins unavailable early on, Ishan Kishan is expected to lead SRH in the opening matches, with Abhishek Sharma as his deputy. While their batting promises fireworks, their bowling could ultimately define how far they go in IPL 2026.