Who will win the SRH vs RR match? Check out the IPL 2026 Eliminator prediction

The IPL 2026 Eliminator will be played between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, on May 27. The winner of this match will take on the loser of the Qualifier 1 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 on May 29, while the loser of this match will be eliminated from the tournament. 

Sunrisers Hyderabad also finished the league stage with 18 points, the same as Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans. However, because of an inferior net run rate, SRH had to settle for the third spot in the standings. On the other side, the Rajasthan Royals 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. To defeat the inform SRH, RR will have to come with their best team game on the ground; otherwise, the inaugural champions’ second IPL dream will be extended for one more year. 

Pitch Report: Mullanpur, New Chandigarh

The IPL 2026 Eliminator will be played at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. The ground is generally considered to be a high-scoring ground, and once again, something similar is expected to happen. This season, a total of 4 matches were conducted on this ground, with the team batting first winning 1 match and the team chasing winning 3. It means that both teams can decide to bowl first after winning the toss. If the team bats first, they will have no choice but to put a huge cricket score on the scoreboard. SRH and RR, both sides had earlier played one match each at this venue against the home team, Punjab Kings, this season, and both teams registered six-wicket victories.

SRH vs RR: Head-to-Head in IPL

The 2016 edition winner, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and the 2008-winner Rajasthan Royals have faced each other 23 times in IPL history so far. SRH have an upper hand on RR, with 14-9.  The extent of SRH's dominance can be gauged from the fact that they have emerged victorious in each of their last five encounters. RR last defeated SRH in IPL 2023.

SRH vs RR: Probable playing XIIs

Both SRH and RR have secured their spots in the playoffs by winning their last two matches. Given this situation, neither team is likely to consider tinkering with their Playing XI. As there have been no injury updates from either side so far, both teams are expected to field the same Playing XI for this crucial match.

Predicted SRH playing XII

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

Predicted RR playing XII

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

Players to watch out for in the SRH vs RR Eliminator match

Best batter: Ishan Kishan (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Ishan Kishan has scored 569 runs in 14 innings at an average of 40.64. He has smashed 6 half-centuries. Ishan Kishan played a pivotal role in both of the victories secured against the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026. In the first encounter, Kishan played an innings of 91 runs, while in the second, he scored 74. Consequently, if RR intends to win this match, they must stop Ishan Kishan at all costs. Ishan is currently in tremendous form, and containing him will be the biggest challenge for RR.

Best bowler: Jofra Archer (Rajasthan Royals)

Rajasthan Royals’ Jofra Archer became the player of the match in the last game against the Mumbai Indians, and thanks to his impressive contribution, RR is playing the Eliminator. If RR wants to clinch their second IPL title this year, Jofra Archer’s performance will be crucial for them. Archer has taken 21 wickets throughout the season so far, and is the 3rd leading wicket-taker of the season, after RCB’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar (24) and GT’s Kagiso Rabada (24).