After a lopsided Qualifier 1, it’s time for the Eliminator to take centre stage in IPL 2026. We have moved from Dharamsala to New Chandigarh for tonight’s clash as the Orange Army Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) lock horns with Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. SRH were unlucky to finish in 3rd place despite having the same number of points as the top 2 due to NRR inferiority. While RR left it till the last moment to clinch the playoff spot on the final day.
SRH will be led by the talisman skipper Pat Cummins, while RR will be led by Riyan Parag despite carrying an injury. He is expected to start this game. If we look and compare both teams, SRH looks more balanced, in form and pedigreed. But count RR out at your own peril. If they find a way, they can hurt you. And who doesn’t like an underdog story? RR should go into the match with a ” nothing to lose situation. The stage is set for an interesting contest in Mullanpur.
Overview
We are into the last three matches of IPL 2026 as we have the Eliminator clash featuring Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) taking on Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Wednesday night. SRH finished third on the points table. Although they ended the league stage with the same number of points as the top two sides, an inferior net run rate meant they found themselves in a knockout situation.
Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, secured a top-four finish on the final day of the league stage, thanks to Jofra Archer’s all-round performance against the Mumbai Indians in a must-win game. Archer was promoted to number 7 and smashed a 15-ball 32 to rescue the team from a tough situation before bowling a match-winning spell of 3/17.
The Royals have ridden on the success of teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi this season. The 15-year-old has scored over 500 runs and smashed more than 50 sixes in just 14 games. In fact, 518 of his 583 runs have come through boundaries. The next best batter for the Royals has been Dhruv Jurel, who is enjoying his best IPL season. Jurel has scored 458 runs at an average of 38.17, while striking at nearly 150.
Yashasvi Jaiswal is closing in on 400 runs, but the rest of the batting has struggled for consistency. During the first half of the league stage, the Royals persisted with Shimron Hetmyer, but the left-hander failed to cement his place in the XI. Donovan Ferreira has finally announced himself in the IPL as well. The South African all-rounder has scored 267 runs at a strike-rate of 170.06 lower down the order. Ravindra Jadeja, who was one of the major talking points of the season following his trade ahead of IPL 2026, has also contributed decently with both bat and ball.
The bowling attack has been spearheaded by Jofra Archer, who has picked up 21 wickets. Ravi Bishnoi started the season as the frontline spinner, but his spot has now been taken by youngster Yash Raj Punja. Bishnoi managed 11 wickets in nine outings, while Punja has claimed eight in six matches. Brijesh Sharma and Nandre Burger have played second fiddle to Archer with 13 and 11 wickets, respectively.
For Sunrisers Hyderabad, three batters have scored over 500 runs this season. Heinrich Klaasen is leading the way with 606 runs in 14 games, while Ishan Kishan (569) and Abhishek Sharma (563) have also been among the standout performers with the bat for the Orange Army. Travis Head has been hit and miss, but with the rest of the batting unit firing on all cylinders, SRH have not missed his contributions too much.
The biggest positive for SRH has been the all-around impact of Nitish Kumar Reddy. The all-rounder has scored 264 runs and picked up seven wickets. Pat Cummins missed the first half of the season due to injury, but since his return, the bowling attack has looked even more formidable. Eshan Malinga has impressed with his variations, while youngsters Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain have also stood out. Sakib, in particular, has been exceptional. The 21-year-old has played 10 IPL matches and is yet to go wicketless. He has picked up 15 wickets, the second-most for SRH this season.
The two teams faced each other twice this season, and on both occasions, it was the Orange Army that came out on top against the Royals. The weather should not be a concern for this game, with the forecast looking clear. Given the scores witnessed in the last three matches at this venue, expect plenty of boundaries when these two sides clash, with everything at stake. The stage is set. Which team will progress to Qualifier 2? The winner meets GT there; the loser goes home. All to play for.
Head To Head
SRH and RR have played against each other 23 times, with SRH winning 14 times and RR winning 9 times. In the last 10 games, it’s 7-3 in SRH’s favour. The Orange Army has faced RR twice this season, and on both occasions, they came out on top. Once in Hyderabad, where 216 was defended due to the heroics of Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain’s 4 wickets each and then in Jaipur, where 229 was hunted down easily by SRH, thanks to Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen putting on a show. SRH the more dominant team on paper.
Pitch & Weather Report
The pitch at New Chandigarh is expected to be a batting-friendly track. There have been 4 league matches played here, where the team batting second has won on three occasions. It is a high-scoring venue, and in the last fixture played at this venue, the Rajasthan Royals chased down the target of 223 runs against the Punjab Kings in 19.2 overs to secure the win by 6 wickets. Expect more of the same, and captains will opt for chase no matter what.
The weather in New Chandigarh is expected to be clear. The high temperature during the day will be 33 degrees Celsius, while at night it will be 27 degrees Celsius. The humidity is at 13%. There is 0% chances of rain, and we can expect a full game to go through.
Predicted/Probable Playing XIs of both sides
Here, we will try to predict the possible playing XIs of both sides.
SRH XI: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (c), Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain.
RR XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Yash Punja, Brijesh Sharma.
Key Players to watch out for during this clash
Ishan Kishan: Ishan Kishan has been the standout performer for SRH, or at least been one of the standout performers with the bat. He is the vice-captain and bats at an important position at 3. Ishan acts as the link between the two openers and Heinrich Klaasen. His role is important as he can play in two gears in anchoring innings and then go hard at the bowlers. He can do both, and that makes his place in the side important. Ishan will be hoping to get more runs and put his side ahead.
Eshan Malinga: Eshan Malinga has been the standout performer for SRH this season. He has bowled well with the old ball and is a master in death overs bowling. Eshan has made sure in many matches that he has restricted the scoring, and on a pitch expected to aid bowlers, his spell could become extremely critical from SRH’s point of view. He would want to shine under pressure as well.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi may look like a dealer who’s in sixes only, but the teenage sensation has done well this season. He is the highest run getter for RR and strikes it big. In some innings, he has shown maturity as well. Vaibhav will want to get off to a fast start in power play after missing out on the last game. He would want to get himself going and target the opposition bowlers to put the pressure on them. If he does that, his team will be on top.
Jofra Archer: He is the spearhead of the RR attack, and he will want to continue his good form. He is the leading wicket-taker for RR as well. In the last game, which was a must-win for them, Archer shone first with the bat and then bowled an incisive spell with the ball to get his team the important win. Archer will hope to shine again in the playoffs and take his side deep into the tournament. He can dismantle the SRH top order.
Key Stats and Records to look out for in this clash
- Ishan Kishan averages 51.33 from five Playoff matches, striking at 130.5.
- RR and SRH are almost neck-and-neck in Power play scoring, with run rates of 11.54 vs 11.02, respectively, this year.
- Six out of eight team totals at Mullanpur have been 200+ scores.
Predicted/Possible Outcome of the Match
It’s tough to choose a winner in T20 or IPL cricket if we are being brutally honest. But saying so, in this clash, if we go by history, then SRH are overwhelming favourites. Recent head-to-head records favour them, and they should romp home to Qualifier 2. But RR cannot be taken lightly. The Men in Pink should play with a nothing-to-lose attitude and get the win in their favour. So, let’s see if RR can cause an upset?
The stage is set for a rip-roaring Eliminator in IPL 2026 later tonight.
Also Read: SRH vs RR: Orange Army’s New Weapons- Praful Hinge & Sakib Hussain