Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) owners are determined to win the title in the upcoming season of IPL and are expected to take some tough decisions ahead of the mini-auction. They could be aiming to oust Mohammed Shami after a disappointing season in 2025.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, the champions of the 2016 edition of the IPL, have invested heavily in their current squad over the last few years. Linked with World Cup-winning Australian captain Pat Cummins, they reached the IPL 2024 final but finished as runners-up to Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata Knight Riders.
The previous season was even more disappointing for the IPL franchise, as they finished sixth on the points table after a good end to the season. Despite being a strong team, Sunrisers remained a weak team in the first half of the season.
SRH owners issue ultimatum to Pat Cummins as title hopes sink in IPL 2026
Sunrisers Hyderabad won the IPL title in 2016 under the leadership of David Warner, the greatest player in the Sunrisers camp in the last decade. They have played two more finals since then, one in the 2018 IPL under Kane Williamson and again in 2024 under Pat Cummins, but finished runners-up.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad team also owns several other teams in several global T20 leagues. They have Sunrisers Eastern Cape playing in the SA20 league and have recently acquired the Northern Superchargers team from Yorkshire in the Hundred.
TOI journalist Sahil Malhotra said, “SRH are in aggressive mode as far as this IPL season is concerned. The message is clear that they have to win the title this time. They feel they have invested a lot in this current setup under Pat Cummins.”
SRH will make a cruel call before the mini-auction
After a poor season last time out, Sunrisers will have to take some tough decisions, even if it means breaking the hearts of some of their best players. Mohammed Shami had a bad season for the SRH team after being bought for a huge price of Rs 10 crore.
As the reporter suggested, “The owners are ruthless as far as winning is concerned. They have sent a clear message ahead of the mini-auction that whatever changes are necessary must be made.”
“They are probably thinking of dropping Mohammed Shami from the team, as they were very disappointed with Shami’s performance and fitness last season. SRH wants to win the title, and they are ready to go to any extent to win this season.”
The management is completely in line with what we fans expect
“The trophy in 2026 is what we want!
Expect some brutal calls”– TOI Sports on SRH’s game plan for 2026pic.twitter.com/oa6Fba1zHm
– Sunrisers Army (@srhoranarmy) 17 October 2025
Is this the end of Mohammed Shami’s T20 career?
Legendary Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami has taken more than 400 international wickets across all three formats throughout his career. Furthermore, Shami is the joint-highest wicket-taker for India in the ODI World Cup as well as in all ICC tournaments. He was the best performer with the ball in both the ICC World Cup 2023 and ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Despite all this inevitable success, one thing that often troubles him is his frequent injuries, due to which he has to stay out of the field for long periods. Shami has worked for many IPL franchises like Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Daredevils, Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
However, with Shami out of most of the games due to injury and their finances being at their worst since last season, not only would SRH be willing to part with the player, but any other franchise’s interest in the Indian pacer is also doubtful. Retention is to be announced by 15th November and Shami’s fate will also be decided on the same day.
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