Hyderabad, May 21 (IANS) 2016 winners Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will clash with the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their last group stage match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 to be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Friday.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have recovered from a disastrous start where they lost three out of four opening matches, to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs. They are currently placed in third spot in the points table with 16 points in 13 matches. A victory against RCB will take them to 18 points and amplify their chances of a crucial top-two finish.

On the other side, the defending champions were the first team to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs. They are coming to the contest after a crucial 23-run win against the Punjab Kings. RCB will aim to seal their top-two spot with a win against SRH in their last group stage match. They are currently placed at the top of the points table with 18 points in 13 matches.

Sunrisers hold a slight edge in the head-to-head record against the Challengers. Among the 27 matches played between the two sides, SRH have won 14 matches, while RCB have also been victorious in 12 outings.

Both sides last met in the opening match of the IPL 2026, in which RCB beat SRH by 6 wickets at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

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

Where: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.

Where to watch: The SRH vs RCB match will be broadcast on Star Sports channels, with JioHotstar live-streaming the game.

Squads:

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Smaran Ravichandran, Abhishek Sharma, Harsh Dubey, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (c), Eshan Malinga, Jaydev Unadkat, Harshal Patel, Salil Arora, Praful Hinge, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mavi, Jack Edwards, Brydon Carse, Sakib Hussain, Zeeshan Ansari, Aniket Verma, Amit Kumar, Krains Fuletra

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rajat Patidar (captain), Virat Kohli, Tim David, Jacob Bethell, Romario Shepherd, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jordan Cox, Suyash Sharma, Venkatesh lyer, Swapnil Singh, Jacob Duffy, Kanishk Chouhan, Abhinandan Singh, Mangesh Yadav, Phil Salt, Satvik Deswal, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra.

–IANS

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