Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have won the toss and chosen to bat first against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Match 67 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. RCB’s Rajat Patidar returns to the playing XI, replacing Jacob Bethell due to injury, while SRH remains unchanged from their previous match. SRH captain Pat Cummins expressed optimism about their chances of finishing in the top two and emphasized the importance of posting a substantial score to enhance their position.
Cummins mentioned that while finishing in the top two might be a stretch, they are determined to make a strong effort. The current standings show RCB with 18 points from nine wins in 13 matches, closely followed by Sunrisers Hyderabad with 16 points from the same number of matches. A victory for SRH could potentially propel them to the second spot based on Net Run Rate (NRR). The decision to bat first appears strategic as the pitch seems devoid of grass, offering a consistent and even surface that is expected to aid the batsmen in playing their shots freely.
The playing XIs for both teams are as follows:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, R Smaran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (capt), Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Venkatesh Iyer, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (capt), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood
Both teams have also listed impact substitutes for the match.
