Sunrisers Hyderabad Opt to Bowl First Against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026

In the ongoing IPL 2026, Sunrisers Hyderabad won the toss and opted to bowl first against Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Pat Cummins made his season debut after recovering from an injury, replacing Dilshan Madushanka. Both captains shared their thoughts on the match conditions and strategies. The playing XI for both teams has been announced, with key players ready to make an impact. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting match!

By Narendra Chaudhary Apr 25, 2026, 20:23 IST

Match Overview

In match 36 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) won the toss and chose to bowl first against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday.

Captain's Return

Pat Cummins, the full-time captain of SRH, made his season debut after recovering from a lumbar bone stress injury. He replaced Dilshan Madushanka in the lineup, while Praful Hinge took the place of Harsh Dubey.

Toss Insights

During the toss, Cummins expressed, "We're going to bowl first. The pitch looks promising, but we need to assess what we need to chase. I feel fresh after good preparation and a couple of practice sessions. Although I haven't played in a while, my body feels great. I've come in for Madushanka, and Hinge is in for Dubey."

Rajasthan Royals' Strategy

RR captain Riyan Parag mentioned, "We were also considering bowling first, but historically, we haven't performed well while chasing. I'm comfortable with defending our score. We know this pitch well, having played most of our matches here. The wicket looks good, and while dew might come into play later, it shouldn't affect the game significantly. Our openers have been performing well, and we hope to maintain that momentum. We are making one change in the lineup."

Team Lineups

Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora(w), Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins(c), Shivang Kumar, Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge, Eshan Malinga.

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma.

Rajasthan Royals Impact Subs: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Ravi Bishnoi, Ravi Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Shubham Dubey.

Sunrisers Hyderabad Impact Subs: Smaran Ravichandran, Liam Livingstone, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Travis Head.