Cummins leads SRH with bowling choice against RR in Jaipur 2026

Pat Cummins made his first appearance for SRH in months and chose to bowl first against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur.

Captain makes debut return Pat Cummins stepped back into the SRH leadership role and also onto the field for the first time since the Adelaide Ashes Test back in mid-December. The Australian spearhead was picked ahead of Sri Lanka’s Dilshan Madushanka, marking one of two bowling adjustments made by the Hyderabad side. Another seamer, Praful Hinge, rejoined the playing XI, replacing left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey after Hinge’s impressive four-wicket haul on IPL debut in the previous Hyderabad clash. Both teams decided to prioritize seamers over spinners, with Rajasthan bringing in Tushar Deshpande instead of legspinner Ravi Bishnoi, who was shifted to the Impact Player bench for the match.

Toss and starting XIs confirmed Sunrisers Hyderabad secured their first toss victory of the season, breaking a streak of seven consecutive losses under stand-in skipper Ishan Kishan. Travis Head was kept on the SRH bench to start, set to enter the game as Impact Player once Hyderabad begin their chase. The final playing elevens were announced with minimal changes: Rajasthan Royals named Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Nandre Burger, and Brijesh Sharma. Their Impact Player bench included Ravi Bishnoi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Ravi Singh, Sandeep Sharma, and Shubham Dubey. Sunrisers Hyderabad listed Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins, Shivang Kumar, Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge, and Eshan Malinga, with Travis Head, Liam Livingstone, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, and Smaran R on standby as Impact Players.

Race for playoff spots intensifies With both sides pushing for a top-four position in the standings, the stakes remain high ahead of this clash in Jaipur. Rajasthan Royals have collected ten points from their first seven games, while Sunrisers Hyderabad have managed eight points over the same span. Cummins and his SRH teammates will look to build on their recent momentum, while Riyan Parag and his Rajasthan unit aim to maintain their push toward qualification. The match presents an opportunity for both teams to gain ground in the crowded playoff picture as the league progresses.