Sunrisers Hyderabad enter IPL 2026 under the captaincy of Pat Cummins, the Australian Test captain whose aggressive leadership style and match-winning pace bowling have made him one of the most impactful overseas captains in IPL history. SRH open the entire IPL 2026 season as the away team in the tournament opener against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on March 28. Here is the complete match-by-match schedule for Sunrisers Hyderabad across the full IPL 2026 league stage.
SRH IPL 2026 — Key Details
Captain: Pat Cummins. Home venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. Total league stage matches: 14. Live streaming: JioHotstar. TV broadcast: Star Sports.
SRH Complete IPL 2026 Match Schedule
Match 1: March 28, Saturday, 7:30 PM — Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Bengaluru. Away match. SRH’s season opener. Tournament opening match.
Match 2: April 2, Thursday, 7:30 PM — Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata. Away match.
Match 3: April 5, Sunday, 3:30 PM — Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Lucknow Super Giants, Hyderabad. Home match. First home game of the season. Afternoon fixture.
Match 4: April 11, Saturday, 3:30 PM — Punjab Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, New Chandigarh. Away match. Afternoon fixture.
Match 5: April 13, Monday, 7:30 PM — Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals, Hyderabad. Home match. Phase 2 opener.
Match 6: April 17, Friday, 7:30 PM — Punjab Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, New Chandigarh. Away match.
Match 7: April 18, Saturday, 7:30 PM — Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Chennai Super Kings, Hyderabad. Home match.
Match 8: April 21, Tuesday, 7:30 PM — Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Capitals, Hyderabad. Home match.
Match 9: April 25, Saturday, 7:30 PM — Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Jaipur. Away match.
Match 10: April 29, Wednesday, 7:30 PM — Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai. Away match.
Match 11: May 3, Sunday, 3:30 PM — Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Hyderabad. Home match. Afternoon fixture.
Match 12: May 6, Wednesday, 7:30 PM — Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings, Hyderabad. Home match.
Match 13: May 12, Tuesday, 7:30 PM — Gujarat Titans vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Ahmedabad. Away match.
Match 14: May 18, Monday, 7:30 PM — Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chennai. Away match.
Match 15: May 22, Friday, 7:30 PM — Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Hyderabad. Home match. Final league stage fixture. Potential blockbuster with playoff implications.
SRH Home Matches at a Glance
Sunrisers Hyderabad play seven home matches at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad across the league stage. Home fixtures fall on April 5, April 13, April 18, April 21, May 3, May 6, and May 22. The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium is one of the finest cricket venues in India, with a capacity of approximately 55,000 and a playing surface that has historically produced competitive cricket across both batting and bowling disciplines.
The final home fixture on May 22 against defending champions RCB carries enormous potential significance. If both teams are fighting for playoff positions in the final weeks of the league stage, the Hyderabad versus Bengaluru clash at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in late May could be one of the most consequential fixtures of the entire IPL 2026 season. SRH opened the tournament away at RCB on March 28 and close their home league stage campaign hosting the same opposition nearly two months later, bookending their season with what could be the tournament’s two most dramatic RCB-SRH encounters.
SRH Away Fixtures Summary
Sunrisers Hyderabad play seven away matches across six different cities. Bengaluru hosts RCB vs SRH on March 28, the season opener. Kolkata hosts KKR vs SRH on April 2. New Chandigarh hosts PBKS vs SRH twice, on April 11 and April 17, giving SRH consecutive away visits to Punjab Kings’ new home venue. Jaipur hosts RR vs SRH on April 25. Mumbai hosts MI vs SRH on April 29. Ahmedabad hosts GT vs SRH on May 12. Chennai hosts CSK vs SRH on May 18.
The Two Consecutive New Chandigarh Away Fixtures
SRH face Punjab Kings twice in quick succession at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Stadium in New Chandigarh, on April 11 and April 17, just six days apart. Back-to-back away fixtures at the same venue against the same opposition is an unusual scheduling quirk that creates an interesting tactical dynamic. After the first match on April 11, both teams will have seen each other’s strategies, strengths, and weaknesses in the current season conditions, making the April 17 rematch a genuine tactical battle where adjustments and counter-adjustments become the central narrative.
Pat Cummins’ Captaincy and SRH’s Explosive Batting
Sunrisers Hyderabad under Pat Cummins have developed one of the most explosive batting lineups in IPL history. The franchise’s approach of batting with extraordinary aggression from the top of the order, regularly posting totals above 200 and occasionally exceeding 250, has redefined what is considered a competitive score in IPL cricket. Under Cummins’ leadership, SRH have embraced a batting-first identity that makes them simultaneously one of the most entertaining teams to watch and one of the most difficult to defend against when conditions suit their aggressive approach.
Cummins himself contributes both as a captain and as a genuine match-winning pace bowler who can change games in the powerplay and death overs. His ability to take wickets at critical moments, combined with his calm tactical intelligence under pressure, has made him one of the most respected overseas captains in recent IPL history.
The RCB Bookend Narrative
The symmetry of SRH opening the IPL 2026 season away at RCB on March 28 and closing their home league stage campaign by hosting RCB on May 22 is one of the most compelling narrative threads in SRH’s schedule. The two franchises meet at opposite ends of the season, with the March 28 fixture representing a fresh start and the May 22 fixture potentially carrying playoff qualification implications for one or both teams.
If both RCB and SRH are in contention for the top four when May 22 arrives, the Hyderabad encounter will have the atmosphere and significance of a knockout match despite being a league stage fixture. SRH’s aggressive batting identity against RCB’s strong bowling attack including Josh Hazlewood promises a high quality contest regardless of the context around it.
What to Watch For in SRH’s Campaign
Sunrisers Hyderabad have been one of the most exciting teams in recent IPL seasons, combining explosive batting with Pat Cummins’ match-winning pace bowling in a formula that consistently produces high-scoring, high-intensity cricket. Their ability to defend the totals their batting produces, particularly on surfaces outside Hyderabad that may not suit their pace attack as naturally as their home ground, will be a key determinant of how far they go in IPL 2026. A strong home record at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, where they play seven fixtures, gives SRH the platform to build a compelling playoff campaign if they can convert home advantage consistently through the league stage.