IPL 2026: Rajasthan Royals Face Sunrisers Hyderabad in Jaipur Clash

Jaipur. Two matches are scheduled for today in IPL 2026. In the 36th match, Rajasthan Royals will compete against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The match will begin at 7:45 PM at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

This is the second time these two teams are facing each other this season. In their previous encounter on April 13, Hyderabad defeated Rajasthan by 57 runs. 

Both teams are playing their eighth match of the season. Rajasthan has won 5 out of 7 matches, while Hyderabad has won 4. Hyderabad has won their last three consecutive matches.

Hyderabad holds the edge

A total of 22 matches have been played between Rajasthan and Hyderabad so far. Sunrisers Hyderabad has registered victories in 13 matches, while Rajasthan Royals has won only 9. However, Rajasthan will enter the field aiming to improve this record on their home ground.

Sawai Mansingh Stadium is Rajasthan's second home ground. Four matches have been played between these two teams here, with both sides winning 2 matches each.

• Vaibhav and Archer: Rajasthan's key weapons

Young batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi has impressed everyone for Rajasthan Royals this season. He has scored 254 runs in 7 matches at an aggressive strike rate of 220.86, including two half-centuries. 

In bowling, Jofra Archer is the team's main weapon. Archer has taken 11 wickets in 7 matches at an economy rate of 7.96.

• Hyderabad's reliance on Abhishek and Ishan

Abhishek Sharma is proving to be a 'run machine' for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He has scored 323 runs in 7 matches at a strike rate of 215.33, with the help of one century and two half-centuries. 

In bowling, Ishan Malinga is in excellent form. Malinga has taken 12 wickets in 7 matches, placing himself in the race for the 'Purple Cap'. His best performance is taking 4 wickets for 32 runs.

• Cummins' return brings relief to Hyderabad

'Looking forward to returning to the field tomorrow after a long time,' Pat Cummins wrote on Instagram the day before the match against Rajasthan. He has returned to the team, and there could be no better time for Hyderabad.

The team felt the absence of Cummins' bowling in the first four matches. However, his arrival in the young and diverse bowling unit has made the team even stronger. Although Ishan Kishan handled the responsibilities well as acting captain, with exactly half the season remaining, Cummins will now take over the captaincy.

It is not just Cummins' return that is a positive for Hyderabad, but also the opportunity to play against Rajasthan. Since the 2023 season, they have won 5 consecutive matches against Rajasthan (a 5-0 unbeaten run). Additionally, their win against this same team two weeks ago turned their momentum this season.

• Pitch and weather conditions

The pitch at Sawai Mansingh Stadium generally assists both batsmen and bowlers equally. However, as it is an evening match, there is a possibility of dew in the second innings. Therefore, the team winning the toss may decide to bowl first.

So far, 64 IPL matches have been played at this venue, with 36% of matches won by the team batting first and 64% won by the team bowling first (chasing). The highest score here is 219/5, set by the home team Rajasthan Royals in 2025.

Potential Playing-12

Pat Cummins will replace Dilshan Madushanka in the Hyderabad team. Additionally, Gerald Coetzee has also joined the team. On the other hand, there are no injury concerns for the Rajasthan Royals team.

• Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora (wicketkeeper), Pat Cummins (captain), Ishan Malinga, Shivang Kumar, Praveen Hinge, and Sakib Hussain.

• Rajasthan Royals: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Riyan Parag (captain), Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma, and Ravi Bishnoi.