Sunrisers Hyderabad’s auction strategy has come under sharp criticism, with former India cricketer Kris Srikkanth openly questioning their decisions. The biggest talking point is SRH spending a massive ₹13 crore on Liam Livingstone. While Livingstone is a quality all-rounder, the real issue last season was not batting — it was bowling.
SRH struggled to defend totals, yet they released Mohammed Shami and failed to buy a proven replacement. Going into the season with Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat and Shivam Mavi does not inspire confidence, especially for a team aiming to win the IPL. Srikkanth also pointed out that Livingstone could have been picked earlier at a much lower price, allowing SRH to strengthen their bowling unit instead.
Players like Matheesha Pathirana, Jacob Duffy, or Aqib Nabi could have added depth with the new ball, but SRH ignored those options.
The biggest questions remain: who replaces Shami, and who finishes games after Nitish Reddy? Can Salil Arora deliver consistently under pressure?
