The final round of league fixtures in IPL 2026 brings Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru together in Hyderabad, with both sides already assured of a place in the playoffs. What remains to be settled is seeding: a top-two finish gives an extra chance in the knockouts.
SRH have won 8 of their 13 games and hold third place with 16 points. Their latest result was a five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in a chase of 181, in which Ishan Kishan made 70 off 47 balls and Heinrich Klaasen added a rapid 47 off 26. Pat Cummins took 3/28 with the ball in that game. Klaasen has 555 runs in the season at an average of 50.45, Abhishek Sharma has 507 at a strike rate of just over 200, and Eshan Malinga (17 wickets) and Sakib Hussain (14 wickets in 9 games) lead the attack. Their big defeat came against Gujarat Titans, by 82 runs.
RCB, the defending champions, top the table with 18 points from 13 matches. They beat Punjab Kings by 23 runs in their last outing after posting 222/4, with Venkatesh Iyer unbeaten on 73 off 40 and Virat Kohli making 58 off 37. Kohli has 542 runs at an average of 54.20, Devdutt Padikkal has 412 at a strike rate above 173, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar leads the Purple Cap race with 24 wickets. Captain Rajat Patidar, who missed the previous game through injury, is expected to return. Between two in-form batting units, RCB’s greater consistency this season gives them a narrow advantage.
