"They probably had a slight arrogance from the last season" - Aakash Chopra on SRH's potential changes after IPL 2025

Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that the SunRisers Hyderabad's (SRH) arrogance was potentially one of the reasons for their unsuccessful run in IPL 2025. While observing that the pitches in Hyderabad also didn't suit them, he reckoned that the franchise is unlikely to make too many changes in the batting department for the next season.

SRH finished as the runners-up in IPL 2024 on the back of their batting might. However, they couldn't replicate that performance in the recently concluded season, finishing sixth on the points table.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener noted that SRH's batting approach and the Hyderabad pitch, rather than team composition, were responsible for their underwhelming run in IPL 2025.

"The season hasn't been good. It wasn't that much about team selection. It was actually about two things. One was that they had no other way other than my way or the highway. They probably had a slight arrogance from the last season. They got found out this time, and the main reason for that was also the pitches. When they didn't get pitches that suited them in Hyderabad, they were hard done by," he said (7:45).

Chopra opined that SRH will likely retain most of their batters, with Ishan Kishan also virtually sealing his place with a match-winning unbeaten 94 in their final league game against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

"If you give a good pitch, it is still a phenomenal batting lineup. So I feel there will be no change there. At one point, they might have considered releasing Ishan Kishan, as he hadn't done much after the first match. However, towards the end, he did enough to deserve a retention. So I feel he will be retained, and there won't and shouldn't be any change in the batting order," he observed.

With 354 runs at a strike rate of 152.58 in 13 innings, Ishan Kishan was SRH's fourth-highest run-getter in IPL 2025. Heinrich Klaasen (487), Abhishek Sharma (439) and Travis Head (374) were above him in the franchise's run-scoring charts.

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"I think they will release Mohammad Shami for sure" - Aakash Chopra on potential changes in SRH's bowling lineup after IPL 2025

Mohammad Shami picked up six wickets at an economy rate of 11.23 in nine innings in IPL 2025. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra reckoned that the SunRisers Hyderabad would certainly release Mohammad Shami from their bowling lineup.

"In bowling, I think they will release Mohammad Shami for sure. It's a lot of money, so you can get that money released, and you can bring in a fast bowler. I feel this team needs to work a little on their spin department. Zeeshan Ansari was alright, but what about the rest?" he said (9:00).

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that SRH need to bolster their spin-bowling department, suggesting Adil Rashid as a potential acquisition.

"Rahul Chahar wasn't used properly. Adam Zampa left, and you didn't bring in anyone in his place. Without spinners, it's difficult in the Indian Premier League. This team's spin was slightly weak. In the next auction, maybe they could go towards Adil Rashid. They can bring Zampa back. They can focus a little more on spin," Chopra observed.

To conclude, Aakash Chopra opined that SRH might release Rahul Chahar along with Shami. The analyst reasoned that the leg-spinner would not have been bowling well, or else he would have played more than one game.