Predicted playing XI for the SRH vs RR IPL 2026 Eliminator

The IPL 2026 Eliminator will be played between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals at  Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, on May 27. The winner of this match will take on the Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 on May 29, who lost by 92 runs against the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru during Qualifier 1. At the same time, the loser of the Eliminator will be knocked out of the tournament. 

Pat Cummins’ SRH also finished the league stage with 18 points, the same as RCB & GT. However, because of an inferior net run rate, SRH had to settle for the 3rd spot in the standings. On the other side, Riyan Parag’s RR finished in fourth position, with 16 points. 

During the league matches, both teams faced each other twice, and SRH easily won both occasions. In the first meeting, SRH won by 57 runs, while in the second one, SRH won by 5 wickets. Looking at both teams’ current performance, SRH will have an upper hand on RR.  

Both Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals had to battle hard in their final few matches to secure a spot in the playoffs; however, by winning their last two games, both teams successfully cemented their places and now find themselves facing off against one another.

From the very beginning of the season, both teams were compelled to make changes to their Playing XI due to player injuries and poor form—a situation that led to constant shifts in their team combinations. However, over the last few matches, it appears that both sides have finally discovered their optimal combinations. Sunrisers Hyderabad boasts an array of explosive batsmen—such as Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, and Nitish Kumar Reddy—who possess the capability to win matches single-handedly. In contrast, Rajasthan Royals feature batsmen like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, and Dasun Shanaka. When comparing the batting units of the two teams, SRH's lineup appears to be the stronger of the two.

However, when it comes to the bowling lineup, Rajasthan Royals hold the upper hand. They possess bowlers such as Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Bishnoi, Yashraj Punia, and Brijesh Sharma. Conversely, apart from Pat Cummins and Eshan Malinga, SRH's bowling attack consists entirely of uncapped Indian bowlers—including promising talents like Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge, and Shivang Kumar. 

Predicted Sunrisers Hyderabad playing XI

Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitishkumar Reddy, Salil Arore, Smaran Ravichandran, Pat Cummins, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Shivang Kumar

Impact player – Harshal Patel/Praful Hinge

Predicted Rajasthan Royals playing XI

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Yashraj Punja 

Impact player — Brijesh Sharma