After just one win from first four games, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have turned this season around. SRH’s rise has coincided with Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) going off the rails after an unbeaten run. With a convincing 33-run win over PBKS, SRH have taken the top spot on the points table. They are just one or two wins away from cementing their spot in playoffs. However, one or two players cannot be credited for SRH’s turnaround as they have had seven different ‘Player of the match’ winners in as many wins in the tournament.
Here’s a look at SRH’s 7 ‘POTM’ winners in IPL 2026 so far -
KKR vs SRH
In their second game of the season, Nitish Kumar Reddy's all-round display guided SRH to a 65-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Reddy's 24-ball 39 helped SRH post 226/8 on the board at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Then, he got the wickets of Rinku Singh and Anukul Roy, conceding just 17 runs from two overs. Reddy has been in fine form but the increase in his pace has been a revelation.
ALSO READ: Australia announce schedule for ODI tour of Pakistan, set to clash with IPL 2026 playoffs
SRH vs RR
In the absence of skipper Pat Cummins, SRH’s bowling attack was looking weak. They were being slammed for trading Mohammed Shami to Lucknow Super Giants. After three wins from four games, SRH handed debut caps to two pacers — Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain. Both of them ended up with four-fers. However, Hinge made headlines as he took down the mighty Rajasthan Royals (RR) batters. He had said that he would dismiss Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and he succeeded in doing so with a short delivery. His three-wicket over on debut was too much for RR to recover from in the run chase of 217 and they ended up losing the match by 57 runs.
Bowling coach Varun Aaron was credited for bringing in two pacers and turning the tide. Also, Ishan Kishan gave up wicketkeeping gloves for better communication with the bowlers.
SRH vs CSK
In his second IPL match, Hinge was not at his best and went for 60 runs defending a target of 195 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). This time, their Sri Lankan pacer Eshan Malinga delivered for the team with the wickets of captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Matthew Short and Sarfaraz Khan. In his quota of four overs, he conceded 29 runs only, helping his team beat CSK by 10 runs.
SRH vs DC
Then, Abhishek Sharma joined the party. The menacing form roared back in form with an unbeaten 68-ball 135 featuring 10 sixes and as many fours against Delhi Capitals (DC) at home. SRH set a daunting target of 243 and DC surrendered. They lost the match by 47 runs.
RR vs SRH
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's blazing ton dented bowlers' confidence but they did well to restrict RR to 228/6. Hinge got his lesson while Cummins stood out with an economical display. In the run chase, Abhishek and Ishan Kishan went berserk. Kishan ht 11 fours and three sixes in his 31-ball 74 to set the platform for the run chase. As a result, SRH ended up chasing down 229 with five wickets in hand and nine balls to spare.
MI vs SRH
The winning run continued against Mumbai Indians (MI) as well. Ryan Rickelton's unbeaten 123 took MI to 243/5 as all bowlers barring Malinga were taken to the cleaners. In the run chase, Abhishek and Travis Head got SRH off to a fiery start. Head scored 76 runs from 30 balls but Heinrich Klaasen was named 'Player of the match' for his 30-ball 65 as SRH lost three wickets in six balls in middle overs. He helped SRH pull off another massive run chase in the penultimate over.
SRH vs PBKS
The latest to enter the list is skipper Cummins himself. He dismissed an in-form Priyansh Arya and Suryansh Shedge. Defending a target of 236, he conceded 34 runs from his two overs, keeping PBKS at bay despite Cooper Connolly's maide IPL century.
3 candidates for orange cap, Malinga in hunt for purple
Currently, Klaasen has the orange cap despite batting in the middle order. From 11 innings, he has 494 runs. He is closely followed by Abhishek with 475 runs from 11 innings. Kishan is not too far behind with 409 runs from 11 innings. In the purple cap race, Malinga is placed fourth with 16 wickets from 11 games. Notably, Hussain and Head have done well but yet to win a 'POTM' award.
After a break, SRH will go up against Gujarat Titans (GT) at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.