IPL 2026: Sunrisers Hyderabad’s strongest predicted XI against Rajasthan Royals

The Sunrisers Hyderabad return home to the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium as they host the Rajasthan Royals in Match 21 of the 2026 Indian Premier League. They are coming off the back of an away loss to the Punjab Kings, where they failed to defend 220. With one win in the campaign, they will be looking to make a move in their campaign against an in-form Royals side.

Here is the strongest possible playing XI for SRH:

Top order: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (capt & wk):

Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head put on a show against the Punjab Kings, putting on 120 runs from just 50 balls. The pair scored 105 runs in the powerplay, the highest aggregate in the tournament. The Sunrisers will be relieved that the pair got going and will hope that they can continue the momentum into the season.

After a mature knock of 80 in the opening game, Ishan Kishan has yet to score runs after getting starts. With the added responsibility of captaincy and with the Sunrisers struggling in the middle order, Kishan will need more scores under his belt.

Middle order: Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Salil Arora

Sunrisers struggled with their middle order woes against Punjab. After the openers added 120 off just 49 balls, they were able to put only 99 runs from the next 71 balls of the innings. Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy put on a rescue act against the Lucknow Super Giants, showing that there is firepower in the middle order. Klaasen himself has not been at his best, scoring at a much slower than his usual standard.

In Salil Arora, the Sunrisers have a highly-rated finisher, who returned to the team in place of England’s Liam Livingstone. Similarly, in Aniket Verma, they have a potent six-hitter, who showed what he can do with a brilliant 18-ball 43 against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening game.

Lower Order/Bowlers: Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat (Impact)

Harsh Dubey and Shivang Kumar have been the positives in what has been a dismal season for the Sunrisers’ bowling unit. The pair has bowled with control and picked up wickets at regular intervals. Both provide the team with handy lower-order batting as well.

Harshal Patel is expected to keep his place in the team as the senior bowler. The two-time purple-cap winner is yet to hit the ground running and has been wicketless in the three games he has played. 

The Sunrisers await the return of Brydon Carse, who would add more impetus to their attack, but until then, they would want to persist with Eshan Malinga. Jaydev Unadkat had a poor outing against Punjab, but should keep his place in the squad as the impact player due to his experience.

Sunrisers Hyderabad predicted playing XI in Match 21, IPL 2026:

Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Harshal Patel

Impact Player: Jaydev Unadkat