Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Prediction & Match Preview – IPL 2026
Match summary
Our IPL 2026 preview of Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad in Jaipur: form, key players, likely XIs, pitch and weather notes, plus our pick.
Match details
| Match | Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 36th Match |
|---|---|
| Series | Indian Premier League 2026 |
| Date | 25 Apr 2026 |
| Start time | 2:00 pm GMT / 7:30 pm local |
| Venue | Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur |
| Status | Played |
| Our pick | Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| Toss pick | Rajasthan Royals |
Matches in this series
Match preview
Rajasthan Royals have won five of their first seven games in IPL 2026, after four straight victories, defeats to Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, and a win over Lucknow Super Giants. In that last game they recovered from 77/5 to post 159 thanks to a lower-order contribution from Ravindra Jadeja, then bowled Lucknow out for 119. Jofra Archer took three wickets, with Nandre Burger and Brijesh Sharma taking two each.
Their strength is the opening pair. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has 254 runs in seven innings at a strike rate above 220, including 78 off 26 balls, though his form has dipped slightly lately. Yashasvi Jaiswal has 245 at an average of 49. Dhruv Jurel has 181 at number three, while captain Riyan Parag has 80 from seven innings. Archer and Ravi Bishnoi have 11 wickets each.
Sunrisers won only one of their first four but have since won three straight, over Rajasthan, CSK and Delhi Capitals. Abhishek Sharma hit 135 off 68 balls in the Delhi win as they made 242, and Eshan Malinga and Harsh Dubey shared seven wickets. Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan have also scored heavily, and Malinga leads the attack with 12 wickets, with Pat Cummins expected back. Our preview gives Sunrisers the slight edge.
The Sawai Mansingh Stadium surface is fairly balanced with a slight lean towards batters. It offers good bounce and carry early, so the powerplay is a time for shots, and totals of 170–190 have been common recently. The pitch can slow and turn two-paced later, which helps spinners and bowlers using cutters. Teams often prefer to chase here.
Evening temperatures are forecast at about 28–32°C at the start, dropping as the night goes on, with moderate humidity and a light breeze. The chance of rain is very low, so a full game is likely.
Expected scores
| Innings | Predicted | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| First innings | 175–195 | – |
| Second innings | 165–185 | – |
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers come in with three straight wins, strong batting and Pat Cummins expected back, which gives them a slight edge.
Toss pick: Rajasthan Royals
FAQ
Where is Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad played?
The 36th match of IPL 2026 is at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday 25 April 2026, with a 7:30 pm local start.
Who does our preview favour?
Our preview favours Sunrisers Hyderabad, who have won three in a row, while expecting Rajasthan Royals to win the toss.
Is Pat Cummins expected to play?
Yes. After missing games through injury, Pat Cummins is expected to return for Sunrisers in this match.
Probable XIs
Expected line-ups from our preview. c = captain, wk = wicketkeeper.
Rajasthan Royals
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
- Dhruv Jurel
- Riyan Paragc
- Shimron Hetmyer
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Donovan Ferreira
- Jofra Archer
- Nandre Burger
- Brijesh Sharma
- Ravi Bishnoi
Sunrisers Hyderabad
- Abhishek Sharma
- Travis Head
- Ishan Kishanwk
- Heinrich Klaasen
- Aniket Verma
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Shivang Kumar
- Pat Cumminsc
- Harsh Dubey
- Sakib Hussain
- Eshan Malinga
Head-to-head
Earlier meetings of Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad that we covered.