Mumbai: Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth has strongly criticised Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) strategy at the IPL 2026 mini-auction, questioning the franchise’s decision to splurge ₹13 crore on Liam Livingstone while failing to secure a replacement for veteran pacer Mohammed Shami.
SRH’s auction activity drew attention after the franchise made Livingstone their biggest purchase during the accelerated round, outbidding Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the England all-rounder. Interestingly, the Hyderabad-based team showed no interest in Livingstone during the initial rounds, where he went unsold at his base price.
Apart from Livingstone, SRH crossed the ₹1-crore mark only twice—signing Jack Edwards for ₹3 crore and uncapped Indian talent Salil Arora for ₹1.5 crore—a strategy that raised concerns about squad balance and depth.
“Do SRH Really Need Livingstone?” – Srikkanth
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth questioned the logic behind SRH’s aggressive bid for Livingstone, especially given their already strong batting lineup and lack of pace-bowling reinforcements.
“Everyone let go of Livingstone at base price. If you had already decided to go for him, you could have picked him up for ₹2 crore,” Srikkanth said.
“Their batting is good, but who is going to bowl the 20 overs? They let go of Shami—who’s his replacement? Do SRH really need a player like Livingstone?”
Srikkanth also pointed out that despite being labelled a strong squad, SRH failed to qualify last season, drawing comparisons with Chennai Super Kings’ struggles.
“They already had a good side, yet they didn’t qualify. They were down in the dumps last year, just like CSK,” he added.
Concerns Over SRH’s Bowling Depth
The former selector highlighted SRH’s pace-bowling vulnerability, suggesting that the lack of a like-for-like replacement for Shami could hurt the team across a long tournament. With minimal spending on frontline bowlers, SRH may face challenges in defending totals despite their batting firepower.
Srikkanth Also Slams Gujarat Titans’ Auction Approach
Srikkanth didn’t stop with SRH. He also criticised Gujarat Titans (GT) for failing to address their middle-order issues, pointing out the team’s heavy reliance on their top three batters last season.
“Last season, they qualified only because of their top three. They didn’t address their middle-order problems at all,” Srikkanth said.
“Actually, a player like Liam Livingstone would have been an ideal fit for Gujarat Titans to bring depth and stability.”
His remarks have sparked debate among fans and analysts, with SRH’s auction strategy now under scrutiny ahead of the IPL 2026 season.
