English fast bowler David Payne has replaced the injured Jack Edward in the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) squad for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Edward, an all-rounder from Australia, was ruled out of the 2026 IPL due to a foot injury. He was bought by SRH at the 2026 auction for Rs. 3 crore.
Payne is a left-arm fast-medium bowler who has made just one appearance for England, featuring in an ODI against the Netherlands in Amstelveen in June 2022. In that game, he bowled nine overs and picked up a wicket.
Also Read | Rajasthan Royals Sold To Kal Somani-Backed Consortium For $1.63 Billion
Although Payne has played only one international game, he is a regular in the T20 leagues having played in the Big Bash League, ILT20, Vitality Blast and the Men's 100. He played the 2025-26 season of the BBL where he featured for Perth Scorchers and picked 11 wickets in six matches.
He won the Player of the Match award in the BBL final for bowling a spell of 3/18. He was also part of the Desert Viper squad that won the ILT20 in January.
He has played 233 T20 matches and claimed 304 wickets at an average of 21.16 and has an economy of 8.03. His best bowling performance in a T20 match is 5/24.
Early in his career, Payne was earmarked as one of the pacers who would play for England for a long time. He was part of England's 2010 Under19 World Cup squad which also featured the likes of Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Jos Buttler and James Vince.
Sunrisers are already without their captain Pat Cummins, who has been ruled out for the first few matches of the season. With Cummins not available, Ishan Kishan will be leading the squad with hard-hitting opening batter Abhishek Sharma acting as his deputy.
Also Read | IPL 2026: RCB's Yash Dayal Ruled Out Amid Sexual-Exploitation Cases
SRH commence their campaign on March 28 against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru. They then travel to Kolkata to take on Kolkata Knight Riders on April 2. The team's first home match of the season will be against Lucknow Super Giants on April 5 followed by an away match in Chandigarh against Punjab Kings.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.