Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have signed David Payne as a replacement player for Jack Edwards for IPL 2026. Who is the 35-year-old pacer?
Who is SRH’s latest signing David Payne?
Left-arm pacer Payne is Gloucestershire’s highest white-ball wicket-taker of all time with 323 wickets across List A and T20 cricket. He first burst onto the scene in 2010 with 7-29 in a 40-over game against Essex, where he picked up five wickets in the last over, including four off four balls.
Payne also picked up 10 wickets in five matches of the 2010 U19 World Cup for an England side that featured the likes of Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Jos Buttler. However, it took him another 12 years to earn his first senior England cap, his only one so far, taking the field against the Netherlands in an ODI in June 2022, where he picked up one wicket for 38 runs.
He has been among the wickets in global T20 leagues as well. He starred in the 2025/26 Big Bash League final for the Perth Scorchers, taking three wickets in the crucial middle overs while conceding just 18 runs, and was named the player of the match. Overall, he took 11 wickets in six matches of the recent BBL season at 13.54 each and an economy rate of 6.47.
Payne was also on point for the Desert Vipers in this season's ILT20 final against the MI Emirates. He took three wickets off four deliveries in the 18th over to stop MI in their tracks and help Viper win by 46 runs. He finished the season as the tournament’s fourth-highest wicket-taker with 17 in nine games at 17.76 each, while conceding runs at 8.62 per over.
Payne provides SRH with a solid powerplay option as he can take the new ball and also swing it up front. He will likely compete with Brydon Carse for a spot in the XI as one of the four overseas players in the tournament opener against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru on March 28, with captain Pat Cummins missing out.
Overall, the left-arm pacer has 304 T20 wickets in 233 matches at 21.16 each, and his economy stands at a respectable 8.03. He also has five four-wicket hauls and a five-for in 20-over cricket to his name.
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