Captain Pat Cummins is back as RR host SRH:Royals seek revenge against Sunrisers, Abhishek vs Archer in spotlight

A red-hot Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) outfit would be out to do a double over the Rajasthan Royals (RR) when these two teams lock horns in match 36 of IPL 2026 on 25 April. The Sawai Mansingh Stadium is set to host its first match of the season. And with these two teams putting on a show last time around in Hyderabad, one can only expect something similar on Saturday. Two debutants, Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain, had announced themselves in grand style the last time these two teams squared off this season. Their fiery spells after a stellar Ishan Kishan 90-run knock had led to SRH ending RR’s unbeaten start to the tournament. One of the biggest talking points of this match is the return of Pat Cummins, who has trained hard after recovering from a back injury and could feature in IPL 2026 for the first time. He will also take over the captaincy from Ishan Kishan. Will Rajasthan Royals make it 1-1 for the season, or would the Orange Army do a league double over the inaugural champs? RR vs SRH Match Details Match info: Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, match 36
Date Time: 25 April, 7:30 PM IST (Toss at 7:00 PM)
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
How to watch: JioHotstar and Star Sports
Where to follow: Follow live coverage on the Bhaskar English App RR vs SRH head-to-head record Rajasthan Royals and the Sunrisers Hyderabad have battled each other 22 times in the IPL so far. And SRH have had an upper hand in this rivalry, winning 13 of those matches. Rajasthan, with nine wins, will look to better that record. Abhishek, Malinga firing all guns for SRH Abhishek Sharma and Eshan Malinga have played pivotal roles in SRH’s recent resurgence in IPL 2026. The left-handed Abhishek is coming off a spectacular century (135* off 68) against Delhi Capitals and before that, had smashed a 22-ball 59 against CSK. Malinga, on the other hand, has shouldered the pace-bowling responsibility pretty well. The Sri Lankan pacer has picked up seven wickets in SRH’s last two matches and would be expected to dish out another match-winning performance in Jaipur against Rajasthan. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Jofra Archer brightest sparks for Royals Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Jofra Archer have been the brightest sparks for the Rajasthan Royals this season. The 15-year-old Sooryavanshi started the campaign on a fiery note but hasn’t produced the scores he has been known for in recent matches. But despite that, he remains the highest scorer for the Royals with 254 runs to his name. Jofra Archer has been the best bowler for the Rajasthan Royals so far in IPL 2026, picking up 11 wickets in seven matches. One of the highlights of Archer’s performance this season has been him taking a wicket off the first ball of an innings in three consecutive matches and he will be expected to deliver once again against the Sunrisers. Also read: Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal help RCB beat Gujarat Titans: Sai Sudharsan’s ton in vain as defending champs return to winning ways Archer vs Abhishek the battle to watch out for The RR vs SRH clash presents the opportunity to witness several riveting player battles, with Archer vs Abhishek being one of them. Abhishek has had the better of Archer in T20 competitions, scoring 62 runs off 35 balls against the England pacer. The southpaw also has had a strike rate of 177.14 and Archer subsequently has leaked runs at an economy of 10.62. But the picture isn’t that gloomy for the Rajasthan Royals pacer. Archer has dismissed Abhishek with the only ball he has bowled to him in the IPL, which came in the last match. The two will look to add another chapter to their rivalry in this clash. Sawai Mansingh Stadium pitch report The Sawai Mansingh Stadium will likely offer something for both batters and bowlers in the match. The fast bowlers would bank on swinging the new ball and batting is expected to get easier as the game progresses. Jaipur weather report The weather is set to be clear for the Royals vs Sunrisers clash. The temperature is set to be around 32 to 37 degrees Celsius. There are no chances of rain. Dew might play a role later on in the contest and hence the team that wins the toss might opt to bowl first.