Sunrisers Hyderabad have won the toss and have opted to field
SRH back bowling first as RR eye batting stability
SRH chose to bowl first against Rajasthan Royals, with Pat Cummins saying the surface looks good and his body feels “fresh” after a long break. He backed Ishan’s aggressive approach and said the team is sticking to its attacking style, aiming to defend a solid record of four wins in seven games.
Riyan Parag said RR also preferred to bat first but will adapt. He admitted their chasing record has been poor in recent seasons and stressed the need for the middle order to deliver and complete the full 40 overs.
Teams:
Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora(w), Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins(c), Shivang Kumar, Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge, Eshan Malinga
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma
Impact substitutes:
Rajasthan Royals: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Ravi Bishnoi, Ravi Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Shubham Dubey
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Smaran Ravichandran, Liam Livingstone, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Travis Head
Pitch report: A typical hot April day is expected, with temperatures easing slightly by evening. The venue has produced high scores, averaging 198 last season, though chasing sides still held the edge in results. Big square boundaries and low bounce keep bowlers in play, especially those who rely on skiddy pace and control.
RR return home as SRH arrive with winning momentum
Rajasthan Royals are back at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, their designated home, though not a venue they have fully owned in recent seasons. After starting the campaign in Guwahati, they return on the back of a confidence-building defence of 160 in their last game, where their bowling held firm in key moments. Riyan Parag stressed the need for better batting consistency and a full 40-over effort as RR look to fix their chasing issues.
Sunrisers Hyderabad come in with momentum, having won three in a row, all at home. Their form has been lifted by Abhishek Sharma’s return to runs at the top and improved death bowling from Eshan Malinga and Sakib Hussain. Pat Cummins leads a side that feels settled but is still adjusting to conditions away from their base.