IPL 2026, Eliminator: Here's why SRH can dominate RR
What's the story
Sunrisers Hyderabad will take on Rajasthan Royals in the 2026 Indian Premier League Eliminator at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Wednesday. The match is a knockout clash with a spot in Qualifier 2 at stake. The losing team will be eliminated from the tournament. SRH head into this high-stakes encounter with confidence, having beaten RR twice during the league stage this season. Here we look at why the Orange Army can dominate the upcoming game.
SRH
Batters have powered the Sunrisers
SRH's campaign has been defined by resilience. The franchise started the tournament without regular captain Cummins, who was replaced by Ishan Kishan. After a rough start, Hyderabad turned their season around with five consecutive wins. Their batting unit has been instrumental in their success, with Abhishek Sharma's aggressive start at the top and consistent performances from Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen in the middle order. Young pacers Sakib Hussain and Eshan Malinga have complemented Cummins well in the bowling department.
RR
Bowling has been an issue for RR
On the other hand, RR will be counting on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's explosive batting at the top of the order. While Sooryavanshi has been their best batter this season, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel have also done well in this department. Meanwhile, bowling has been an issue for them lately. Though Jofra Archer has been at his best this season, he has not really received consistent support. With SRH boasting a destructive line-up, RR's fragile bowling attack can let them down in the high-stake match.
Team rosters
Here are the probable XIIs
RR Probable XII: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Yash Raj Punja, Brijesh Sharma. SRH Probable XII: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora (wk), Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (c), Harshal Patel, Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain.
H2H
RR vs SRH: Head-to-head record
Coming to their head-to-head record, SRH have won 14 out of 23 matches against RR, as per ESPNcricinfo. The remaining nine games have gone in RR's favor. As mentioned, the two teams have met twice this season, with SRH winning both encounters. They recorded a massive 57-run win in Hyderabad and a five-wicket victory in Jaipur at the end of April. In fact, the Orange Army has won each of its last five games against the Royals