Rajasthan Royals have been the team to beat so far: four games, four wins, a net run-rate of +2.055. Campaign starts hardly get better in the IPL. But there's never room to rest and gloat. With three games scheduled in the next nine days, they would want the juggernaut to carry on.
RR have @I0$ boy named Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, but don't let the 15-year-old lord over other high-performers. Yashasvi Jaiswal has been an imperious opening partner, while Dhruv Jurel has effortlessly changed gears at three. Ravi Bishnoi has been cutting through lineups, following the new-ball incision of Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger.
Running into them are Sunrisers Hyderabad, who haven't broken character for the large part. In three out of four games, they have crossed 200, but have suffered from poor bowling, letting Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings chase down 202 and 220 respectively. Against Lucknow Super Giants, their top order was blown away.
But there are still good signs: their Indian spinners Harsh Dubey and Shivang Kumar have stepped up. Heinrich Klaasen, though scratchy, has been among the runs. Abhishek Sharma looks in fine nick. As a team though, they need to click together.
@B0$ SRH vs RR, IPL 2026, April 12 at 7:30 PM IST
@B1$ Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
@B2$ No rain in this part of the country, thankfully. But it's hot. Temperatures are nearly 40 degrees in the afternoons. There has been just one game at the venue so far, with Aiden Markram saying the wicket got better as it progressed.
@B3$ SRH lead 12-9 overall, with a 4-1 advantage since 2023, and a 5-1 record against RR at home.
@B4$
@B5$
Injuries/Availability concerns: The wait continues for Pat Cummins, but Brydon Carse should be close to match fitness, having rested out his hand injury in the first two weeks.
Tactics & Matchups: SRH's spin duo has been tidy so far. Together, they have taken nine wickets at 25.44, far better than the pace unit (11 at 44.09). Beyond RR's blistering top three, there's still scope to target their middle order. Both Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer are yet to go big, and how they deal with Dubey-Shivang will make for an interesting matchup. They could also consider bringing in Praful Hinge over one of their veteran Indian seamers.
@B6$ Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Salil Arora, Nitish Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Harshal Patel, Eshan Malinga/Brydon Carse, Jaydev Unadkat/Praful Hinge
@B7$
Injuries/Availability concerns@B8$With Sam Curran out, RR roped in Dasun Shanaka as his replacement earlier in the tournament. It remains to be seen if he makes it in soon, as his inclusion will bolster their middle-order's hitting power (and give them another bowling option). No other known availability issues.
Tactics & Matchups: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been blowing teams away in the Powerplay (strike rate of 275.86). It would be a steep challenge for SRH, who have conceded at 12.04 an over in the Powerplay so far. But SRH's own top-order is ruthless: they smashed 105/0 in the first six overs in their previous game. How they fare against RR's bowlers, who have taken 12 wickets at 17.25 in the Powerplay, will be a contest worth watching.
@B9$: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira/Dasun Shanaka, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Brijesh Sharma
@B10$
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has hit 160 runs in 58 balls in Powerplays in IPL 2026, with a boundary percentage of 51.7.
SRH are on a four-game winning streak against RR.
Dhruv Jurel's strike-rate at No.3 is 177.77, the best across the seven positions he has played at in T20s.
@B11$
Everyone loves him. Everyone loves having him around. He likes eating stuff. He likes going out and stuff like that. So we make sure we make that available for him. And he's a 16-year-old kid, 15-year-old, whatever it is. Yeah, doing kiddish things. And he's happy with that. He likes a lot of batting. So we make sure that is presented to him. And if he keeps on batting like that, I think [he'll get] whatever he wants - @B12$
