Rajasthan Royals will be aiming to extend their dominance at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium this Saturday, April 25, as they host Sunrisers Hyderabad in Match 36 of Indian Premier League 2026. Coming off a 40-run victory over the Lucknow Super Giants, the Royals find themselves in a three-way battle for the second spot on the points table. However, Hyderabad has rediscovered its fire recently; fresh off a record-breaking 242-run total against Delhi, they are set to play now under regular captain Pat Cummins, who has rejoined the squad after an injury layoff. Will he play today?
Pat Cummins – Playing Today
The biggest question for the Sunrisers Hyderabad fans for today’s IPL match is the imminent return of their regular captain, Pat Cummins. After missing nearly a month due to a back stress injury, the same issue that sidelined him for most of the home Ashes, the Australian speedster is finally ready to lead.
Cummins has been officially cleared by Cricket Australia and confirmed his return via social media, stating “been a long time coming, stinging to get back into it tomorrow.”
Fans should expect Cummins to walk straight back into the XI for SRH, likely replacing Dilshan Madushanka. The tactical question remains whether he will immediately resume captaincy from Ishan Kishan or allow the in-form keeper to continue leading the on-field charges for one more game.
Can’t wait to see you tonight, Pat 🤗 pic.twitter.com/YpsDA6bO75
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) April 25, 2026
Will Pat Cummins Replace Ishan Kishan as SRH Captain Today?
Yes, the Australian fast bowler will replace Ishan Kishan as the captain. In the absence of the injured Cummins, Ishan Kishan filled in the role and managed to transform SRH into a high-octane unit prioritizing raw aggression. Under his watch, SRH secured 4 wins and 3 losses. Here’s how the team performed with Kishan as their captain in the absence of Cummins:
| Opponent | Result | Ishan Kishan’s Performance |
| vs RCB | Lost by 35 runs | 80 (38) |
| vs KKR | Won by 65 runs | 14(9) |
| vs LSG | Lost by 5 wickets | 1 (4) |
| vs PBKS | Won by 6 wickets | 27 (17) |
| vs RR | Won by 57 runs | 91 (44) |
| vs CSK | Lost by 18 runs | 0 (1) |
| vs DC | Won by 47 runs | 25 (13) |
Any injured player in RR?
No, there are no reports of injury or unavailability in the Rajasthan Royals camp for today’s match.
RR vs SRH Predicted Playing XIs:
SunRisers Hyderabad: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Aniket Verma, Salil Arora, Pat Cummins (c), Harsh Dubey/Praful Hinge, Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Ravi Bishnoi, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma, Sandeep Sharma
