The Sunrisers Hyderabad take on the Delhi Capitals in Match 31 of the 2026 Indian Premier League at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on April 21.
The Sunrisers play their fourth game at home and third on the bounce. They beat the in-form Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings in their last two games at home and now take on the Delhi Capitals, who have got back to winning ways. They have found balance in their bowling attack, and the top-order has slowly begun to click. They have started ticking all boxes and will hope to push for a respectable finish and even a playoff charge.
Here is SRH’s strongest predicted XI vs DC for Match 31, IPL 2026:
Top order: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (C)
Abhishek Sharma has been in sublime form in 2026. Coming off a poor World Cup hampered by illness, the southpaw has scored 188 runs at a whopping strike rate of 229.26. He notched up a 15-ball half-century against the Super Kings, giving the Sunrisers a fantastic start. Travis Head has started slowly in this season, scoring just 143 runs in six innings.
Ishan Kishan has continued his form from the T20 World Cup, where he was one of the best batters for India. The stand-in skipper has scored 213 runs at a strike rate of 188.49. He has assumed more responsibility with the bat and, despite being at his brutal best, has looked more cautious and mature in his innings.
Middle order: Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora (WK), Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy
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Heinrich Klaasen has been the Sunrisers’ most prolific batter in 2026. Taking on a new role as the anchor in the middle order, the former South African international has on multiple occasions saved the team in orange from collapses in 2026. He leads the Orange Cap list with 283 runs in six games, coming at a strike rate of 144.38. While he is not at his destructive best, he has reinvented himself in a role that aids his team’s chances.
Salil Arora and Aniket Verma have been brilliant at finishing innings for the Sunrisers, with the latter putting his six-hitting prowess on full display in the season. Sali has also taken the gloves in the last two games and has done brilliantly behind the stumps. Nitish Kumar Reddy, while having contributed with the bat, has looked impressive with the ball, clocking in at over 135 kmph regularly and bowling the hard lengths with ease.
Bowlers: Shivang Kumar, Harsh Dubey (Impact), Praful Hinge, Sakib Hussain, Eshan Malinga
Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain had a brilliant outing on debut, picking up four wickets apiece against the Rajasthan Royals. While Hinge was taken for runs against the Super Kings, Sakib had a better outing, giving just 32 runs in four overs and picking up a wicket. Eshan Malinga is coming off the back of a player-of-the-match performance against the Super Kings, with figures of 3/29.
The spin duo of Shivang Kumar and Harsh Dubey have bowled well in tandem in the middle overs. The left-arm wrist spinner Shivang has picked up five wickets in the five games that he has played and has bowled with great control throughout the season.
Predicted Sunrisers Hyderabad Playing XI vs Delhi Capitals:
Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (c), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora (wk), Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivang Kumar, Praful Hinge, Sakib Hussain, Eshan Malinga
Impact Player: Harsh Dubey
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