IPL 2026 Today's Match: PBKS vs SRH playing 11, batters vs bowlers matchups

Punjab Kings (PBKS) are taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Match 17 of IPL 2026 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium today. PBKS have made an impressive start to their campaign and remain unbeaten after three outings. Under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, they secured wins against Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings, before their most recent game against Kolkata Knight Riders was abandoned due to rain. PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer won the toss for the match and invited Ishan Kishan-led SRH to bat first.

IPL 2026 PBKS vs SRH playing 11:  PBKS playing 11: Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (C), Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal  Impact players: Nehal Wadhera, Vishnu Vinod, Suryansh Shedge, Yash Thakur, Harpreet Brar  SRH playing 11: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (C/WK), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Harshal Patel, Eshan Malinga  Impact players: Jaydev Unadkat, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mavi, Praful Hinge, Kamindu Mendis 

 

In contrast, Sunrisers Hyderabad have experienced an inconsistent run so far this season. They began with a defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, bounced back with a convincing win over Kolkata Knight Riders, but then slipped again with a five-wicket loss to Lucknow Super Giants in their previous match.

 

 

Punjab appear to be a well-settled unit, with a strong balance between their batting and bowling departments, making them a difficult side to overcome. Iyer’s leadership has also played a key role in their early success. On the other hand, SRH boast a powerful batting lineup on paper, but their performances have lacked consistency. Their bowling attack, too, has struggled to make a significant impact, raising concerns heading into this contest.

 

Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy record in IPL (PBKS)

Matches: 90

Wins: 52

Losses: 35

N/R: 3

Win percentage: 57.78%

 

Ishan Kishan's captaincy record in IPL (SRH)

Matches: 3

Wins: 1

Losses: 2

N/R: 0

Win percentage: 33.33%

 

PBKS squad for IPL 2026: Prabhsimran Singh(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Cooper Connolly, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Priyansh Arya, Suryansh Shedge, Vishnu Vinod, Praveen Dubey, Harpreet Brar, Ben Dwarshuis, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Thakur, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mitchell Owen, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyla Avinash, Vishal Nishad

 

SRH squad for IPL 2026: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w/c), Heinrich Klaasen, Liam Livingstone, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, Salil Arora, David Payne, Shivam Mavi, Zeeshan Ansari, Kamindu Mendis, Brydon Carse, Smaran Ravichandran, Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge, Krains Fuletra, Onkar Tarmale, Amit Kumar

 

IPL 2026: PBKS vs SRH key player battles 

3. Shreyas Iyer vs Harshal Patel

 

Shreyas Iyer’s battle against Harshal Patel is expected to be a key contest, especially in the middle overs when the SRH pacer is likely to operate. Historically, this matchup has favoured the bowler quite clearly.

 

In their IPL encounters so far, Harshal has dismissed Iyer three times in four meetings. One of those dismissals came last season in Hyderabad, despite Iyer playing a blazing knock of 82 off 36 balls. Overall, Iyer has managed only 17 runs off 14 deliveries against Harshal, underlining the pacer’s dominance in this duel.

 

2. Ishan Kishan vs Yuzvendra Chahal

 

The contest between Ishan Kishan and Yuzvendra Chahal is set to be a crucial battle in the middle overs, with both players having competitive numbers against each other in the IPL.

 

Kishan has faced Chahal seven times, scoring 55 runs at an impressive strike rate of 171.87. However, Chahal has also managed to dismiss him on three occasions, showing that the spinner has often found a way to break through despite Kishan’s aggressive approach.

 

1. Abhishek Sharma vs Arshdeep Singh

 

This matchup carries added intrigue as Abhishek Sharma and Arshdeep Singh are not only domestic teammates but also familiar faces in the Indian setup. Their familiarity makes this a potentially game-defining duel.

 

Abhishek has enjoyed the upper hand so far, scoring 60 runs off Arshdeep in the IPL at a strong strike rate of 171.42. The left-arm pacer has managed to dismiss him just once, indicating that Abhishek has generally handled his bowling well in previous meetings.