The highly anticipated IPL 2026 Eliminator between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) takes centre stage on Wednesday, May 27, at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur.

This high-stakes, do-or-die clash will directly determine who keeps their championship dreams alive, with Pat Cummins’ SRH finishing third in the league stage with 18 points and RR grabbing the final playoff seeding close behind with 16 points.

The Orange Army will rely heavily on their ultra-aggressive batting blueprint, spearheaded by Heinrich Klaasen, Abhishek Sharma, and Travis Head, to counter a resilient Royals bowling attack. Rajasthan’s young unit, anchored by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal, will be looking to dominate in this crucial encounter. RR previously faltered twice against SRH in the regular season and will look to reverse the script to secure a spot in Qualifier 2.

Here’s SRH’s predicted Playing XI vs RR

Top-order: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head (Imp), Ishan Kishan (wk)

SRH’s top-order of Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, and Ishan Kishan is arguably the most dangerous line-up of IPL 2026. Australia opener Travis Head will come in as an impact sub to join Abhishek at the top. Both of them are having a decent season, with the Indian opener scoring 563 runs with a strike rate of 206.22.

Travis Head would want to contribute more with the bat, as he has been a little inconsistent so far. But his impact on the game remains crucial. Ishan Kishan meanwhile, is having a strong season with the bat, as well as the stand-in captain, where he led the team in absence of Pat Cummins. The wicketkeeper batter scored 569 runs.

Middle-order: Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Kumar Reddy

Heinrich Klaasen is having one of the best seasons for a middle-order batter in the history of IPL. The South African batter has scored 606 runs in 14 matches, with an average of 50.50, and has been their best batter this season. SRH management is backing the young players like Salil Arora, and Smaran Ravichandran to deliver in the middle overs. Whereas, Nitish Kumar Reddy gives them a much needed balance with his all-round presence.

Bowling: Pat Cummins(c), Harshal Patel, Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain 

SRH’s inspirational captain Pat Cummins will be leading their bowling line-up from the front. He will be the key to negate the Vaibhav Sooryavanshi challenge against Rajasthan Royals. Harshal Patel, with his immense experience in the league, can be an asset. Shivang Kumar has been a revelation for them, picking up eight wickets with the ball. Eshan Malinga has been their premier wicket taker, with the Sri Lanka pacer picking up 19 wickets. Sakib Hussain too, has emerged as a solid option.

SRH’s predicted playing XI vs RR in Eliminator, IPL 2026

Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins(c), Harshal Patel, Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain

Impact Player: Travis Head