IPL 2026 | From toothless to terrifying: How SRH's bowlers have found their bite

'They can easily smash 200 or even 250, but they will also concede those many easily!'.

This was the gist of the comments that Sunrisers Hyderabad's squad analysis had at the start of the season. They had arguably the most explosive top-four of the season but the bowling just looked toothless.

With skipper Pat Cummins also ruled out of the initial games, SRH were in shambles as they lost three of the first four games. The bowling, on expected lines, couldn't threaten enough as opponents chased down totals of 201 and 219 without really being under pressure.

Fast forward a week and SRH are now on a three-match winning streak. Their batting has continued to fire but what's been the difference? The quiet bowling resurgence.

Against Rajasthan Royals, SRH were forced to make two big changes to their bowling attack.

Jaydev Unadkat and Harshal Patel were both injured, and it meant that two debutants Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain were thrown into the raging fire against RR's explosive opening pair. It was baptism by fire but Hinge and Hussain came out victorious in this acid test.

Hinge became the first bowler to take three wickets in the opening over of an IPL game and returned a four-fer in that game, as did Hussain. SRH faced a stiffer test against Chennai Super Kings, a game where Hinge copped a lot of stick but he held his nerve to bowl a massive 20th over for his side.

Meanwhile, Hussain continued to be a tricky customer to face, as he mixed up his pace variations with cunning changes in length to confuse the batters. Like the CSK batters, the DC batters also struggled to get to terms with Hussain's masterly defensive bowling skills.

The third man in this puzzle, the trump card, has been a Sri Lankan - Eshan Malinga. Over the last 12 months, Malinga has quietly been making his name as a versatile T20 bowler. He has decent pace, can bowl hard lengths but also has brilliant pace variations at his disposal.

If Hussain is still a rookie at what he does, Malinga seems to be sure of his craft already. Hinge is more of a new-ball bowler but can tear opposition top-orders apart in those first six overs where games after often won or lost.

Malinga and Hussain, though, seem to be the backbone of SRH's bowling unit and with a batting unit that will mostly deliver big scores, their roles become pivotal. Dilshan Madushanka also looked good in his first game of the season but that spot will be taken by Cummins.

Even without the Australian pace wizard, SRH have already built up momentum with the ball and look like the dark horses this season. The team should only get stronger with Cummins's arrival as he also gives further depth to an already intimidating batting line-up.

There is also the mystery of left-arm wrist spin in Shivang Kumar, who is a raw talent but appears to have immense control for a rookie leg spinner. With Nitish Kumar Reddy also working up some pace, there is reason for SRH supporters to be optimistic this year.

The bowling attack is starting to click as a unit and while there is obvious inexperience in the ranks, the Sunrisers might finally be building a well-rounded squad, not just for IPL 2026, but also for the coming seasons.