Following Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) triumphant victory over the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 1 yesterday, RCB has booked its ticket to this Sunday’s final in Ahmedabad. Attention now shifts to Mullanpur, where Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) face off today in a crucial Eliminator. The stakes couldn’t be higher: the loser’s season ends tonight, while the winner advances to Qualifier 2 for a virtual semi-final showdown against GT.
While RR’s mid-season form looked precarious, back-to-back victories against MI and LSG safely secured their playoff berth. In contrast, SRH, who narrowly missed out on a top-two finish have been roaring with both bat and ball all season.
Today’s clash promises to be a high-scoring thriller on a notoriously batting-friendly Mullanpur deck. All eyes will be on the marquee matchup between Travis Head and Jofra Archer. While Head has previously dismantled Archer in the powerplay, the lethal English speedster has dismissed the Australian opener three times in T20s and remains a potent new-ball threat. RR will also rely heavily on their prodigious young talent, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Meanwhile, SRH boasts an explosive core featuring Abhishek Sharma, Pat Cummins, Ishan Kishan, and Heinrich Klaasen.
Historically, SRH holds the upper hand, having outplayed RR in 14 of their 23 encounters. They will look to extend that dominance on Mullanpur’s Pitch No. 4 today. With an average score hovering over 200, bowlers will face a tough task, though spinners might find some joy with a bit of extra flight.
Weather conditions will test the players’ endurance, with temperatures expected to soar past 40°C into the evening. However, the resulting dry conditions could offer reverse swing to the fast bowlers later in the game.
SRH vs RR: Predicted Playing XIs
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kamindu Mendis, Smaran Ravichandran, Harshal Patel, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain.
Impact Player: Salil Arora
Rajasthan Royals: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Dasun Shanaka, Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Jofra Archer, Ravindra Jadeja, Nandre Burger, Yash Raj Punia.
Impact Player: Ravi Bishnoi
Match Details
Venue: Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh
Toss: 7:00 PM IST | Match Start: 7:30 PM IST
Live Broadcast & Streaming: Star Sports Network and JioHotstar
Also Read: Bengaluru Reach Back-to-Back Finals With Record Win, Gujarat Crumble