🏏IPL 2026: SRH vs RCB, 67th Match, Hyderabad🏏

🏏IPL 2026: SRH vs RCB, 67th Match, Hyderabad🏏

With both teams assured of playoffs spots, the Sunrisers Hyderabad-Royal Challengers Bengaluru fixture in Hyderabad might seem a dead rubber on paper. But it is far from that. Yes, both RCB and SRH have sealed top-four spots, but the question of the all-important top two positions stands.

RCB are currently atop the points table with 18 points and an NRR of +1.065, and are still in with a solid chance of confirming a top-two spot. But Gujarat Titans' 89-run win against Chennai Super Kings, which cemented a top-two spot for them, has changed things a bit for both RCB and SRH*.

GT are second on the points table with an NRR of +0.695. For SRH to finish in the top two, while batting first, they will need to defeat RCB by 88 runs if they score 220 or by 87 runs if they score 200.

If they're chasing, say, 150, SRH will need to win in around 11.1 to 11.3 overs. If they manage to achieve this, they will better RCB's NRR and SRH and GT will finish top two. If not, RCB and GT will cement the top two spots.

SRH have a 100% record in home night games this season. They have won four out of six games in Hyderabad in IPL 2026, and both defeats came in day games. They will want to keep this record intact come the RCB clash. RCB haven't been great travellers this season; three of their four defeats have come on the road and SRH will want to capitalise on this.

These two teams opened the season in Bengaluru on March 28 with RCB chasing down 202 with plenty to spare. But a Pat-Cummins-less SRH were much depleted at the time, particularly on the bowling front. They are in far better shape now, and will want to end their group stage on a high note at home.

The race for the IPL 2026 playoffs has narrowed down to just one available spot now, and the opponents in Friday's seemingly dead rubber in Hyderabad - hosts SRH and table-toppers RCB - are already among the three with a Q against their name. However, the contest carries stakes far beyond just two points.

Both teams walk into the contest knowing a top-two finish - and a valuable second shot at making the final - is on the line.

RCB sit atop the points table with 18 points, having suffered just four defeats this season. They boast of a best-in-the-league net run rate of 1.065 and have a second successive Qualifier 1 berth in sight. On the back of three straight victories, they have momentum on their side as they bid to close out the league stages with a win.

Even a loss by a margin of under 87 runs (should SRH score 200) will ensure they finish in the top two.But with the playoffs looming, RCB would be keen on converting their momentum and overall season consistency into the shortest route possible to the finale.

A mid-season surge, featuring five consecutive victories after an indifferent start to their campaign, put SRH firmly back in the playoffs race. However, they've since alternatively lost two of their last four, somewhat derailing the charge for a top-two finish at the business end of the competition.

A convincing victory against RCB is their only ticket to the top-two, with Gujarat Titans having secured their spot in Qualifier 1 courtesy a heavy win over CSK.

Their explosive batting has often overwhelmed oppositions in IPL lately, but inconsistency in key moments has prevented SRH from fully capitalising on the chances they've created for themselves. Today, SRH will have to be at their aggressive best as a unit against the table-toppers, who are chasing the same reward as them.

When: Friday, May 22 at 7:30 PM IST

Where: Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad

RCB captain Rajat Patidar missed their last game against Punjab Kings (PBKS) with an injury. Director of cricket Mo Bobat has confirmed Patidar will play. "Rajat's good to go. We were cautious and didn't take any risks with him. We thought we'd give him a little bit longer to recover and rest, but he's here, he's practicing and he's good to go."

Against PBKS, Patidar's No. 4 slot went to Venkatesh Iyer, who top-scored for RCB and took home the Player-of-the-Match award. Now that Patidar is fit, who makes way for him remains a question. With Iyer having done well at the top of the order and Jacob Bethell enduring an off season, there is a chance RCB could promote Iyer to open the innings. The other way Iyer fits in is in place of Romario Shepherd at No. 7. Phil Salt hasn't recovered from his finger injury yet but is likely to come back for the playoffs.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (probable XII): 1 Venkatesh Iyer, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Rajat Patidar (capt), 5 Tim David, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Rasikh Salam, 11 Josh Hazlewood, 12 Jacob Duffy.

All of SRH's players are fit, and given that they won their last two games, it is unlikely there will be any changes in the side. Travis Head and Sakib Hussain are likely to be SRH's Impact Player swaps.

Team Watch

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Injuries & Availability: No concerns of this nature in the SRH camp.

Tactics & Matchups: Between 2019 and 2024, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Abhishek Sharma shared the dressing room at SRH for six seasons. In their limited IPL face-offs before and after that stint, Bhuvneshwar has largely kept the explosive left-hander in check. Abhishek has managed just 14 runs off 11 balls against him at a strike-rate of 127.27 - a far cry from his career SR of 170.18. Come Friday, and the RCB pacer will look to maintain that upper hand.

Probable XII: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Smaran Ravichandran, Pat Cummins (c), Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge

In the spotlight: Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Abhishek Sharma

For 11 seasons, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the face of SRH. He was the Purple Cap winner with them in 2016 - the same year SRH won the IPL - and 2017 and still comfortably leads the all-time wickets charts for SRH (157). In the opposition team now, Bhuvneshwar returns to Hyderabad and to a venue he knows well. He might be 36, but he's still ruling the wickets columns, still getting the new ball to talk, still landing the yorkers at the death. He is leading the Purple Cap table with 24 wickets, while his economy rates of 6.71 in the powerplay and 8.8 at the death also stand out.

Abhishek Sharma, once Bhuvneshwar's team-mate at SRH, will have the task of facing him in the powerplay. The swashbuckling opener is enjoying another solid season in the IPL. He's eighth on the Orange Cap list, with 507 runs in 13 innings, and already has three fifties and a century this season. His strike rate of 201.99 once again is the highlight and SRH will bank on him to deliver against a solid RCB bowling attack.

Stats and trivia

• Heinrich Klaasen is just 31 runs away from becoming the fifth SRH player to reach 2000 IPL runs.

• SRH have the best death-overs economy rate so far this season (9.62). Just below them are RCB (10.07)

• No batter has a better strike rate against spin this season (minimum 50 balls faced) than Rajat Patidar's 214. Not far behind, however, is Abhishek, who is striking at 213.22 against spin.

• Travis Head has fallen to Jacob Duffy three times in four T20 innings and strikes at only 116 against him. His opening partner Abhishek, however, strikes at 242 against Duffy in T20s.

• Patidar is just one away from 100 sixes in the IPL

Pitch and conditions

Pitch No. 2 will be used for the SRH-RCB clash in Hyderabad. Historically, this is one of the highest-scoring surfaces at the venue, and with both teams bristling with hard hitters, runs and more runs are likely to flow. On the last two occasions this surface was used in IPL 2026, SRH scored 242 for 2 against Delhi Capitals and 234 for 4 against Punjab Kings, winning both games batting first. The temperature is expected to be in the late 30s on the Celsius scale with no chance of rain.

Quotes

"Bhuvi has been brilliant. His outcomes have been excellent, he's taken a lot of wickets, but also he's bowled with excellent rhythm. We're very pleased with how he's going. He talks well in meetings, he's a good source of insight and ideas on the field under pressure. He can be a great support to Rajat and Jitesh [Sharma] as well, which is really important. We get huge value out of him because he gives us so much."
RCB team director Mo Bobat underlines Bhuvneshwar Kumar's value

Did you know?

- RCB, across IPL 2025 and 2026, is the only side with a 70+ win percentage in back-to-back editions across the league's history

- 2026 is the fourth successive 500+ season for Virat Kohli in the IPL

- With a tally of 1969 an average of 45.79, Heinrich Klaasen has the most runs by overseas batter in IPL since 2023

RCB have once again enjoyed an outstanding campaign under skipper Rajat Patidar, blending explosive batting with disciplined bowling to emerge as title contenders for the second successive season.

The talismanic Virat Kohli has continued to redefine consistency at the top of the order, collecting 542 runs from 13 matches, while Devdutt Padikkal has also enjoyed a good season.