IPL 2026: Jadeja comes in for RR as SRH elect to bowl in Eliminator
New Chandigarh, May 27
Sunrisers Hyderabad won the toss and elected to bowl against Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator of the Indian Premier League at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh, on Wednesday.
Sunrisers Hyderabad made one change to their XI, bringing in Praful Hinge in place of Salil Arora. Meanwhile, the Rajasthan Royals also tweaked their combination with Ravindra Jadeja replacing Shubham Dubey in the starting lineup.
Pat Cummins said the experience of playing high-pressure matches can help players stay relaxed heading into a big fixture, but stressed that Sunrisers Hyderabad's recent form was a bigger positive. The SRH captain added that the side prefers to keep plans with the ball "very simple", only targeting specific batters when needed. Confirming one change to the XI, Cummins said Praful Hinge returns to the side. Unfazed by the pressure of chasing at the venue, Cummins backed SRH's batting strength, saying they had won plenty of games batting second and were ready to "have a crack first with the ball."
Riyan Parag admitted he was "a little undecided" at the toss and said he would probably have preferred to bowl first. The Rajasthan Royals skipper also confirmed he was fit to play. RR made one change to their XI, Ravindra Jadeja slots into the starting side with Shubham Dubey moved to the Impact Player bench.
Playing XIs:
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Donovan Ferreira, Dasun Shanaka, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Punja
Impact substitutes: Shubham Dubey, Sushant Mishra, Amanal Perala, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (c), Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge
Impact substitutes: Aniket Verma, Salil Arora, Liam Livingstone, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel
— IANS
Reader Comments
Pat Cummins winning the toss and choosing to bowl first - that's the smart move on this ground. New Chandigarh stadium has been good for chasing. But I'm worried about RR's bowling attack without a proper spinner other than Jadeja. Bishnoi on the bench? That's a strange call 🤔
Look at those playing XIs! SRH have five proper bowlers plus part-timers. RR relying heavily on Jofra Archer and Burger upfront. This is going to be a run-fest. 200+ score for sure. Feeling for Shubham Dubey though - hard to be Impact Player after being dropped from XI.
As an SRH fan since 2016, this team makes me nervous and excited at same time. On paper we look invincible. But eliminator pressure is different. Remember 2014 final? Anything can happen. Still backing Cummins' calm head to guide us through. Let's go orange army! 🧡
Riyan Parag admitting he was undecided at toss doesn't inspire confidence. And why Jadeja over Dubey? Jadeja hasn't been in great form this season. RR should have gone with Tushar Deshpande as impact sub. My prediction: SRH 210/4, RR 185/7. Cummins' boys have too much firepower.
Ravindra Jadeja in the XI? That's a defensive move from RR. He hasn't been bowling well in powerplay this season. Should have kept Dubey in and brought
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.