When the teams of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) face each other in the last match of IPL 2026 on Friday (May 22), both will try to make it to the top-2. RCB is currently on top in the points table with 18 points and its net run rate of 1.065 is the best among 10 teams. If she does not lose by a huge margin on Friday, she will finish at number-1, which will give her two chances to reach the finals.
SRH is in third place with 16 points from 13 matches. He has a chance to go up to 18 points. Even if SRH reaches this far, it will not be able to finish in the top-2, because the net run rate of RCB as well as Gujarat Titans is much better than that. In such a situation, to make it to the top-2, they will have to defeat RCB by a big margin.
Also read: Gujarat Titans stake claim to top-2 with a thumping win, CSK out of playoffs
RCB is in form
RCB has once again performed brilliantly under the leadership of Rajat Patidar. With the combination of explosive batting and disciplined bowling, RCB has proved itself as a title contender for the second consecutive season. Charismatic player Virat Kohli continues to redefine his consistency at the top order and has scored 542 runs in 13 matches. At the same time, Devdutt Padikkal’s season has also been good. The pair of experienced fast bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood has also played an important role in the success of RCB.
Bhuvneshwar has been one of the highest wicket-taker bowlers this season and has continued to perform wonders with the new ball. Hazlewood has cast effective spells on important occasions.
Krunal Pandya has also impressed with his all-round performance and troubled the batsmen with his varied bowling. Leg-spinner Suyyash Sharma and all-rounder Romario Shepherd have also contributed. RCB team will enter the field as a strong contender against SRH, which has seen ups and downs this season.
Also read: CSK’s match winner sank the team’s boat, created a shameful record in IPL
SRH’s batting is dangerous
When SRH won five consecutive matches, it seemed that it had regained its momentum but it has faced defeat in two of the last four matches. The Pat Cummins brigade has one of the most dangerous batting line-ups of this tournament. Players like Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen have the ability to destroy any bowling attack. However, lack of consistency in batting has hurt him at important times. The team’s recent defeats were due to shortcomings in batting and the team will hope to overcome these shortcomings before progressing to the knock-out stage.
The positive aspect for SRH is that the leadership of captain Pat Cummins and some young fast bowlers doing well have given them a lot of morale. Sri Lankan fast bowler Ishan Malinga has been one of the star players of this season. He has consistently taken wickets even under pressure and has bowled economically. Since returning from injury, Cummins himself has brought even more vigor and control to the bowling unit, giving SRH more clarity and edge in their bowling strategy.
Probable playing XI of both the teams:
Royal Challengers Bangalore – Venkatesh Iyer, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (captain), Tim David, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salaam Dar, Josh Hazlewood, Jacob Duffy.
Sunrisers Hyderabad – Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, R Smaran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (c), Shivang Kumar, Ishan Malinga, Saqib Hussain, Prafulla Hinge.
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