The Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals will face each other in the Eliminator of the 2026 Indian Premier League at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Wednesday, May 27. The teams finished third and fourth respectively in the league stage and must now win two consecutive matches to secure a place in the final in Ahmedabad.
SRH enter the contest after a strong league campaign under captain Pat Cummins, while RR sealed the final playoff berth with a crucial victory over Mumbai Indians in their last league match.
Top Player Battles in IPL 2026 SRH vs RR Eliminator
Sunrisers Hyderabad have defeated Rajasthan Royals twice during the league stage this season and have won the last five meetings between the two sides.
The first encounter on April 13 in Hyderabad ended in a commanding 57-run victory for SRH. Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain starred with the ball, claiming four wickets each on their IPL debuts to restrict RR in the chase.
SRH have built a reputation this season as one of the league’s most aggressive batting sides, consistently troubling opposition bowling attacks.
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Rajasthan Royals secured qualification after defeating Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in their final group-stage fixture. Jofra Archer played a key role in the win, taking three wickets and contributing 32 runs with the bat.
The Royals recovered from mid-season setbacks to return to form at a crucial stage of the tournament.
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Both teams used Indian internationals as Impact Subs in their previous matches. SRH brought in Harshal Patel while defending a total against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, while RR introduced Ravindra Jadeja during the first innings before using him in the chase.
For SRH, Travis Head has been effective as an Impact Sub while chasing, scoring 393 runs at a strike rate of 168.66 this season. Harsh Dubey has taken eight wickets in eight matches, while Liam Livingstone and Kamindu Mendis remain overseas options on the bench. Aniket Verma, however, has struggled for form compared to last season.
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Rajasthan Royals could again rely on Ravindra Jadeja, who has contributed 209 runs and eight wickets since returning to the franchise. Ravi Bishnoi has taken 11 wickets from nine matches despite a dip in form. Tushar Deshpande and Sandeep Sharma provide additional pace-bowling options, while Aman Rao Perala is yet to make his IPL debut.
IPL 2026 SRH vs RR Eliminator Match Winning Battles
Neither side will enjoy home conditions in the knockout fixture, with the match scheduled in New Chandigarh.
Both squads appear balanced overall, though SRH hold the advantage based on current form and recent results against RR.
Prediction
Considering their recent dominance over Rajasthan Royals and overall squad strength, Sunrisers Hyderabad are expected to defeat RR and advance to Qualifier 2.
