Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has selected his top playing XI for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, the 2016 IPL champions, ahead of their first match against the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The match will take place at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Sunrisers Hyderabad will face a setback in the upcoming IPL 2026 season as their captain, Pat Cummins, will miss the initial games. In his absence, Ishan Kishan, the T20 World Cup 2026 champion from India, will lead the team.
Aakash Chopra has suggested several options to replace Cummins in the playing XI, including all-rounders Brydon Carse, David Payne, and Eshan Malinga. Chopra believes that the team’s bowling department is vulnerable and requires a specialist bowler for death overs.
Chopra has emphasized the importance of slotting Nitish Kumar Reddy no lower than number 5 in the batting order. He expressed concerns about the team’s inconsistency in Reddy’s placement, advocating for a stable position for him at number 5.
The former cricketer has maintained the top four batters unchanged, with Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head as openers, followed by Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen at numbers three and four. Chopra has included Liam Livingstone at number 6 for a stronger finish, supported by Sahil Arora in great form at number 7.
Aakash Chopra’s chosen playing XI comprises Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (c), Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Liam Livingstone, Salil Arora, Harshal Patel, Shivam Mavi, Jaydev Unadkat, and Eshan Malinga. Additionally, he has identified Zeeshan Ansari or Shivang Kumar as potential impact players.
