South African fast-bowling legend Dale Steyn just lately took to X (previously Twitter) to interact with followers throughout a transit in Mumbai on Monday, January 26, 2026. Steyn, who has been a distinguished voice within the T20 circuit via his teaching and commentary roles, offered a daring forecast for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
Dale Steyn’s verdict on the IPL 2026 title race
The Q&A took an fascinating flip when the dialog shifted to the 2026 IPL season. When a fan immediately requested, “Ipl 2026 winner?”, Steyn responded with a succinct and suggestive: “Perhaps SRH.” His prediction carries vital weight given his long-standing historical past with Sunrisers Hyderabad, the place he served as a premier pacer and later because the bowling coach.
This optimism follows SRH’s aggressive technique within the 2025 mega-auction, which noticed them safe high-profile stars like Ishan Kishan to bolster an already explosive lineup that includes Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen. Steyn’s “perhaps” hints on the franchise’s potential to lastly break their title drought, particularly after they turned the primary group to realistically threaten the 300-run mark within the earlier season.
Perhaps SRH
— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) January 27, 2026
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A legacy of bowling prowess and fashionable batting carnage in IPL
Since changing the Deccan Chargers in 2013, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has carved out a singular identification within the IPL, evolving from the league’s most medical bowling unit into its most feared batting powerhouse. The franchise’s crowning achievement stays their 2016 title win, the place David Warner led them to an exhilarating victory over RCB, making them the one group to win the trophy after enjoying within the Eliminator.
Traditionally, SRH was outlined by its ‘defend something’ mantra, powered by the legendary Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan, reaching the playoffs in 5 consecutive seasons between 2016 and 2020. Nevertheless, the previous few years have seen a radical shift in philosophy; below the management of Pat Cummins, SRH has rewritten the file books, setting the highest-ever IPL whole of 287/3 in opposition to RCB in 2024.
Regardless of a Sixth-place end in 2025, they remained the league’s entertainers, breaching the 250-run mark a number of instances with the assistance of Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen. With a complete of three closing appearances (2016, 2018 and 2024) and 7 playoff {qualifications}, the ‘Orange Military’ will enter 2026 as a group that has mastered the artwork of each defensive grit and absolute offensive demolition.
Key milestones in SRH historical past
- Maiden Title (2016): Defeated RCB within the closing at Bengaluru by 8 runs.
- The Warner Period: David Warner holds the file for many Orange Caps for the franchise (2015, 2017, 2019).
- Bowling Dominance: Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the one bowler to win back-to-back Purple Caps (2016, 2017) in IPL historical past.
- Report Breakers: Holds the highest three highest scores in IPL historical past (287, 278 and 277) all achieved inside the 2024-2025 cycle.
- Consistency: Certified for the playoffs in 7 out of their 13 seasons since their debut in 2013.
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