Sunrisers Hyderabad have drafted India Under-19 all-rounder RS Ambrish into their squad after fast bowler Shivam Mavi was ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2026 with a groin strain. The franchise confirmed on Friday morning that Ambrish, 19, joins for his base price of ₹30 lakh, while Mavi – bought at auction for ₹75 lakh – leaves without bowling a ball this season.
“We wanted a like-for-like option who can swing the new ball and handle the bat if required,” head coach Daniel Vettori said in a short video posted by the club. “Ambrish gives us that balance.”
The teenager’s recent numbers back up that optimism. In February he topped India’s wicket chart at the Under-19 World Cup, taking 11 wickets at 17.18, including three in the final against England – one of those, in the third over, broke the opening stand and set India on course to defend 412. Speaking to ICC.tv after the final he said: “I just tried to hit the right lengths and the results followed.”
A left-handed batter and right-arm seamer, Ambrish has also toured England and Australia with the junior side and featured in last year’s Asia Cup. National age-group coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar, asked about the youngster earlier in the week, remarked: “He’s calm under pressure and that’s half the battle at this level.”
Mavi, meanwhile, faces another stint in the treatment room. “It’s frustrating, but injuries are part and parcel of fast bowling,” he told PTI on Wednesday, confirming he hopes to be back for the domestic one-day competition later in the year.
Sunrisers’ pace unit has been stretched all season. Captain Pat Cummins missed the opening four fixtures while regaining fitness, Jack Edwards never made it out of pre-season with a foot injury, and English quicks Brydon Carse and David Payne went down inside the first fortnight. Even so, Hyderabad have strung together five wins on the bounce to sit third with 12 points from nine outings – level with two other sides but ahead on net run-rate.
Their next assignment is a Sunday afternoon meeting with Kolkata Knight Riders at Uppal. A sixth straight victory would move them a step closer to the play-offs; equally, integrating a raw 19-year-old into a bowling attack mid-campaign is seldom straightforward. For now, Sunrisers appear happy to roll the dice.
