3 SRH players who are not in form heading into IPL 2025 ft. Ishan Kishan

SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) retained five and purchased 20 cricketers at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction, thereby building a strong 25-member squad. They had a little disadvantage at the auction, having the joint-lowest purse of ₹45 crore, but the think tank nonetheless made the most of it.

SRH will start their IPL 2025 campaign by playing the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader on March 23 against the Rajasthan Royals. The IPL 2024 runner-ups will be led by Australia's Pat Cummins this year as well.

Having taken the side so close to the trophy last year, Cummins would hope to lift the silverware this year. And when we talk about getting to the final, we think of the team’s players and their form heading into the tournament.

SRH have a high chance of playing the knockouts this year too, having built a strong squad that has a majority of in-form players. Nonetheless, we’ve managed to pick three out-of-form players, and here’s a list:

---

#3 Kamindu Mendis

SRH roped in Sri Lankan cricketer Kamindu Mendis for ₹75 lakh at the mega auction, and if he gets a chance in the team’s XI, it’ll be his first-ever match in the cash-rich event. Mendis boasts a unique ability as he can bowl using both arms, off-break, and slow left-arm spin.

His IPL stats don’t have much to say because he hasn’t played a game yet. But his last 10 outings, which include nine international games and one first-class match, speak a lot about his current form. While he hasn’t picked up a single wicket in these outings, he’s managed just one ODI half-century.

With his most recent T20I campaign against New Zealand in December 2024 not going his way, it’ll be a task for him to rise to the occasion in IPL’s high-octane matches, especially given the fact that SRH batters broke multiple records last season.

Notably, Mendis won the ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year 2024 Award.

---

#2 Jaydev Unadkat

One of the veterans of the tournament, Jaydev Unadkat has been a part of the Indian Premier League since 2010 and has represented eight franchises so far. Over the years, he has played 105 matches and picked up 99 wickets.

He represented SRH last season, and they bought the pacer’s services for ₹1 crore this time, but the 34-year-old has failed to deliver in recent years. He has been out of the international setup, but his recent performances in the domestic arena have been dismal.

During Saurashtra’s Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 clash against Punjab, Unadkat went on to concede 90 runs without picking up a single wicket. He last played an FC match against Gujarat and registered poor figures of 1/107.

It remains to be seen if SRH pick Jaydev Unadkat in their playing XI.

---

#1 Ishan Kishan

One of SRH’s top picks at the IPL 2025 auction, Ishan Kishan bagged a ₹11.25 crore deal after the Mumbai Indians (MI) released him. The wicketkeeper-batter has 2644 runs from 105 matches, having scored them between 2016-2024, with the 2020 winning season being his best so far.

Kishan too has been trying his best to get back to the senior national team, but has failed to grab the Indian think tank’s attention. The southpaw hasn’t played a game of international cricket since November 28, 2023.

Since then, he has actively participated in domestic tournaments for Jharkhand. But his recent outings with the bat have not been very impressive, with the 27-year-old getting only one good knock (134) in his last 10 outings.

An aggressive batter in the shortest format of the game, Ishan Kishan will hope to put up memorable performances for SRH, as he did for MI in their title-winning campaigns.