Following the news of David Payne's ankle injury on April 16, 2026, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will be looking for a replacement overseas pacer for the remainder of IPL 2026. Payne himself was a replacement for Jack Edwards and played only two matches before being sidelined.

 

Based on current player availability and scouting profiles, here are the top three potential replacements:

1. Gerald Coetzee (South Africa)

Profile: An aggressive right-arm fast bowler known for extreme pace and hit-the-deck ability.

Why him: He was a standout performer in the recent T20I series against New Zealand, taking 8 wickets in 5 matches. His ability to bowl at any phase of the innings makes him a highly versatile option for SRH's depleted bowling attack.

2. Naveen-ul-Haq (Afghanistan)

Profile: A T20 specialist renowned for his deceptive slower balls and lethal accuracy in the death overs.

Why him: With SRH already utilizing young Indian pacers like Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain in the powerplay, Naveen would provide a much-needed experienced "death-overs" specialist to close out innings.

3. Dilshan Madushanka (Sri Lanka)

Profile: A left-arm quick who can swing the ball early, mirroring Payne’s original role in the team.

Why him: Madushanka was recently signed by SRH as a replacement for Brydon Carse, but as the team continues to face a string of injuries, maintaining a high-quality left-arm option is critical for tactical variety.

Payne provided a left-arm pace option that creates difficult angles for right-handed batters.Without him or a cleared replacement like Madushanka, SRH’s attack will become very one-dimensional, relying almost entirely on right-arm medium-fast bowlers like Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat. SRH has now lost three primary overseas bowling targets to injury: Jack Edwards (foot), Brydon Carse (hand), and now David Payne (ankle).This leaves SRH with very few overseas bowling options. They may be forced to play Eshan Malinga, who is relatively inexperienced at this level, or rely more heavily on their Indian domestic seamers.

While youngsters like Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain have performed brilliantly (both took 4 wickets in the recent win over RR), they are now under immense pressure to lead the attack in every match.The franchise is expected to announce the final replacement within the next 48 hours to have them available for the next match.