3 players SRH had the penultimate bid for in IPL 2025 Auction who'd have fit the team well ft. Josh Inglis

Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016 champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) made solid retentions ahead of the 2025 auction. They retained a strong core with Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy, and skipper Pat Cummins.

They made the final last season but failed to win the trophy. The Sunrisers will be keen to go the extra mile this time around and claim another title. They entered the auction with the aim to build a squad around their retentions and made some decent buys with their limited purse amount.

Known for being batting-heavy, they made some key signings such as Mohammed Shami, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, and Adam Zampa among others to bolster their bowling attack.

While SRH have tried to maintain enough balance around the squad, there are some players who would have fit the team well and further added to the strength had they managed to buy them during the IPL 2025 auction.

That said, here are three such players SRH had the penultimate bid for in the IPL 2025 Auction who'd have fit the team well.

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3 players SRH had the penultimate bid for in IPL 2025 Auction who'd have fit the team well

#3 Deepak Hooda

The Sunrisers Hyderabad have a top-heavy batting line-up with the likes of Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head upfront. While they have the firepower at the top, someone like Deepak Hooda would have fit the side well being a batter who can provide stability in the middle order.

Moreover, SRH would need right-handed batters as well, with many left-handers at the top. Hooda scored only 145 runs in the last IPL season. However, he can prove to be a vital cog when at his best. With his right-arm off-spin, he also provides an extra bowling option if needed.

SRH did go after Hooda at the auction and engaged in a bidding war with the Chennai Super Kings. While they had the penultimate bid at INR 1.60 crore, Chennai eventually managed to buy Hooda with a bid of INR 1.70 crore in the end.

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#2 Shahbaz Ahmed

Left-arm spinner and all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed was released by Hyderabad ahead of the 2025 auction. He put up a decent show for them in IPL 2024, scoring 215 runs and picking up seven wickets as well.

While Hyderabad added Rahul Chahar and Adam Zampa as two leg-spinners in the squad, they do not have a left-arm orthodox spinner barring Abhishek Sharma who bowls part-time spin.

With a top-heavy batting line-up, Shahbaz is again one of those players who could give them stability and add depth to the batting as well. SRH did try to buy him back but faced competition from Lucknow Super Giants. Hyderabad had the penultimate bid at INR 2.20 crore but Lucknow eventually managed to rope in Shahbaz for INR 2.40 crore.

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#1 Josh Inglis

Australian wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis would have been another solid fit for the Sunrisers. Their squad has many batters who play spin well but could face some shortcomings when it comes to playing high pace. This is where Josh Inglis would have fit in well.

Inglis would add further firepower to their batting as he also had four T20 hundreds to his name. Moreover, in a batting line-up such as that of SRH, Inglis would add more value as he is a player who can bat at any position in the top six.

Hyderabad opened the bidding for Inglis at the IPL 2025 auction for INR 2 crore. However, the Punjab Kings then came in at INR 2.20 crore. Hyderabad had the penultimate bid at INR 2.40 crore. But Punjab eventually placed a winning bid of INR 2.60 crore to add Inglis to their squad.