IPL 2026 Eliminator: SRH vs RR playing 11, batters vs bowlers matchups

The winner of the SRH vs RR IPL 2026 Eliminator match will qualify for the Qualifier 2 match on Friday

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) will face off in a high-stakes IPL 2026 Eliminator in Mullanpur tonight, where only one team will keep their title hopes alive. SRH skipper Pat Cummins has won the toss and elected to field first on the night  With the winner progressing to Qualifier 2 and the loser heading out of the tournament, this promises to be an intense battle between two evenly matched sides.

 

SRH’s biggest strength has been their destructive batting lineup. Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen form one of the most dangerous top fours in the competition.

 

 

If they get going, SRH can post or chase down massive totals. Their challenge, however, lies in the bowling department, where inconsistency and expensive spells have often put them under pressure. Sakib Hussain and Eshan Malinga will be key in containing RR’s top order.

 

Rajasthan Royals have followed a similar path this season. Their batting heavily depends on Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel and Riyan Parag, while middle-order collapses remain a concern.

 

Jofra Archer and Yash Raj Punja have delivered with the ball, but RR’s bowling depth could be tested. With both teams chasing a second IPL crown, execution under pressure will decide the contest.

 

Now, before the two sides finally take the field, let’s take a look at the captaincy record of both skippers, their expected playing 11 combinations and key player matchups for the game. 

Pat Cummins’ captaincy record in IPL 2026 (SRH)

• Matches: 7
• Wins: 5
• Losses: 2
• N/R: 0
• Win percentage: 71.42%

Riyan Parag’s captaincy record in IPL (RR)

• Matches: 21
• Wins: 11
• Losses: 10
• N/R: 0
• Win percentage: 52.38%

IPL 2026: SRH playing 11 vs RR

Sunrisers Hyderabad head into the Eliminator with strong momentum after recovering from a slow start to the season. The return of captain Pat Cummins in the latter half of the tournament has transformed their campaign, with SRH winning five of their last seven league matches. They also hold a psychological edge after beating Rajasthan Royals twice in the league stage.

 

Their batting remains their biggest strength, with Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen forming one of the most destructive top orders in IPL 2026. Klaasen has been particularly outstanding with 606 runs.

 

In bowling, Eshan Malinga has led the wicket charts with 19 wickets, while Cummins, Sakib Hussain and rookie spinner Shivang Kumar will be key on a batting-friendly Mullanpur surface.

 

Sunrisers Hyderabad playing 11: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w), Heinrich Klaasen, Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins(c), Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge

 

SRH squad for IPL 2026:

 

Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Ravichandran Smaran, Aniket Verma, Abhishek Sharma, Brydon Carse, Harsh Dubey, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins, Jaydev Unadkat, Harshal Patel, Zeeshan Ansari, Salil Arora, Praful Hinge, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mavi, David Payne, Amit Kumar, Sakib Hussain, Eshan Malinga, Krains Fuletra

IPL 2026: RR playing 11 vs SRH

Rajasthan Royals enter the knockout clash eager to make amends after narrowly securing a playoff berth on the final day of the league stage. Led by Riyan Parag, RR’s top order has powered their season, with teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi leading the charge with 583 runs, alongside Dhruv Jurel and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

 

Their batting depth also includes Shimron Hetmyer and Ravindra Jadeja, though Jadeja will be expected to contribute more consistently with both bat and ball.

 

In the bowling unit, Jofra Archer has been their standout performer with 21 wickets and will be crucial in the powerplay. Support from Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma and leg-spinner Yash Raj Punja gives RR variety, as they look to finally overcome SRH this season.

  Rajasthan Royals playing 11: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Donovan Ferreira, Dasun Shanaka, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Raj Punja

 

RR squad for IPL 2026:

 

Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Riyan Parag (C), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Sandeep Sharma, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Ravi Bishnoi, Sushant Mishra, Adam Milne, Kuldeep Sen, Dasun Shanaka, Shubham Dubey, Ravi Singh, Brijesh Sharma, Vignesh Puthur, Aman Rao Perala

IPL 2026 Eliminator: SRH vs RR key player battles

SRH batters vs RR bowlers

Batter (SRH)	Bowler (RR)	Inns	Runs	Outs	SR
Abhishek Sharma	Jofra Archer	6	54	2	158
Abhishek Sharma	Ravindra Jadeja	5	47	1	143
Ishan Kishan	Jofra Archer	8	52	3	146
Ishan Kishan	Ravindra Jadeja	9	61	2	151
Heinrich Klaasen	Jofra Archer	7	48	2	165
Heinrich Klaasen	Ravi Bishnoi	6	58	1	172
Nitish Kumar Reddy	Ravindra Jadeja	4	31	1	148
Travis Head	Jofra Archer	5	44	2	176

RR batters vs SRH bowlers

Batter (RR)	Bowler (SRH)	Inns	Runs	Outs	SR
Yashasvi Jaiswal	Pat Cummins	7	49	2	144
Yashasvi Jaiswal	Harshal Patel	4	28	1	156
Dhruv Jurel	Pat Cummins	5	33	2	132
Riyan Parag	Pat Cummins	6	38	2	141
Riyan Parag	Harshal Patel	5	29	2	149
Donovan Ferreira	Eshan Malinga	2	17	1	154
Dasun Shanaka	Pat Cummins	8	43	2	138
Ravindra Jadeja	Harshal Patel	6	27	2	126