Sunrisers Hyderabad Opt to Bat First Against Royal Challengers Bengaluru

In a crucial final league match, Sunrisers Hyderabad have opted to bat first against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. With RCB leading the points table and SRH aiming for a significant win to improve their standings, both teams are set for an exciting showdown. Captains Pat Cummins and Rajat Patidar share their strategies and insights ahead of the match, while the playing XI and impact substitutes are revealed. Stay tuned for all the action!

By Narendra Chaudhary May 22, 2026, 19:39 IST

Match Overview

On Friday, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) chose to bat first in their match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. Currently, RCB tops the points table with 18 points, while SRH holds the third position with 16 points.

Final League Match Stakes

This match marks the final league-stage game for both teams. SRH aims to secure a significant victory to surpass Gujarat Titans and claim the second spot, which currently belongs to GT with 18 points.

Toss Insights

After winning the toss, SRH captain Pat Cummins stated, "We'll bat first. It's a long shot to get to the top two. We’ll experiment a bit before the finals and aim for a big score. The crowd has been fantastic, and we hope to finish on a high note. We’re sticking with the same lineup as the last match."

RCB Captain's Remarks

RCB's captain Rajat Patidar, returning to the playing XI after missing the previous match, mentioned, "No matter where we play, it feels like a home game. We need to maintain our standards in every match. Jacob Bethell is out due to a finger injury, but I’m back in the squad."

Playing XI

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma(w), Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins(c), Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain.

Impact Substitutes

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Impact Subs: Tim David, Kanishk Chouhan, Swapnil Singh, Abhinandan Singh, Jordan Cox.

Sunrisers Hyderabad Impact Subs: Praful Hinge, Aniket Verma, Liam Livingstone, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel.