'The youth factor just isn’t there right now': Uthappa questions SRH's bowling squad

New Delhi, Dec 21 Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa highlighted Sunrisers Hyderabad's bowling issue, citing a lack of youth bowlers, which could hurt the franchise in the IPL 2026.

The Hyderabad-based franchise retained their core squad, boasting one of the strongest squads in IPL 2025, featuring players like Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Pat Cummins, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Heinrich Klaasen. They signed seasoned players including Salil Arora, Jack Edwards and Liam Livingstone for Rs 13 crore as well as a number of promising stars through the mini-auction before to IPL 2026.

However, Uthappa questioned the signing of Livingstone and his place in the eleven and also shared his thoughts on the weak bowling attack.

“Nothing has really changed. SRH have taken a clear stand, they want to win the championship on the back of their batting, at full tilt. If you look at this auction and the way they’ve gone about it, they’ve stayed true to that narrative. They haven’t gone after an Indian bowler who could support Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel or Jaydev Unadkat. We know Harshal can pick up wickets, but he can also be expensive. The same goes for Unadkat. Pat Cummins is the only bowler who can consistently hold one end. Nitish Reddy is still developing as an all-rounder, so how much responsibility will he get? SRH are batting like they want to breach 300 every game.

"But the question is — where does Liam Livingstone fit into this line-up? You already have Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, Pat Cummins and Eshan Malinga occupying overseas slots. Are they planning to chase every game? Or are they accepting that their bowling lacks depth, especially with some bowlers being in the latter stages of their careers? The youth factor in the bowling unit just isn’t there right now," Uthappa said on JioStar.

Former India cricketer Anil Kumble also commented on Liam Livingstone joining SRH for Rs 13 crore and questioned the bowling options for SRH, alongwith skipper Cummins.

“I think Liam Livingstone, as a buy, certainly makes sense in a T20 line-up, irrespective of his performances last season with RCB. He’s the kind of player who can change a game in just a few overs, that’s the way he bats. On top of that, he’s extremely flexible — he can open, bat at No. 3, or play in the middle order. That said, spending ₹13 crore becomes an interesting call when you already have a bowling captain in Pat Cummins, who bats lower down the order, along with Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen — three overseas slots that are almost fixed."

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