RR, SRH look to extend momentum in Jaipur curtain-raiser

For a league built on a team's success correlating with the art of maximising home advantage, Rajasthan Royals present a curious case. Notwithstanding all the success they enjoyed at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in the initial years of the IPL - as a spotless record in 2008 and 2013 would suggest - they have moved towards the idea of two home grounds since the IPL returned to its home-and-away format in the post-COVID era.

None too different this year either, having played three of their seven home fixtures in Guwahati. They did complete a clean sweep of CSK, MI and RCB to cast themselves as a team to watch out for. But trends in recent years suggest that RR have made it to the playoffs whenever they've had a positive win-loss record in Jaipur.

That may not have a huge bearing this time, considering their solid positioning on the points table as they commence the second half of their campaign with 10 points under their belt. But having returned to winning ways with a successful defense of 159 in Lucknow, a fond homecoming will only solidify RR's foothold in the top half of the table. It is something they would dearly want, considering how they have botched up a great first half and fizzled out in seasons gone by.

It will be far from easy against a Sunrisers Hyderabad side that is on the upswing. Not only do they arrive on the back of a three-match winning streak - which incidentally began against RR - but they are also set to welcome captain Pat Cummins for this contest. Having stumbled upon a bowling formula, Cummins' entry only bolsters those stocks besides elongating SRH's batting lineup.

There are concerns over the form of some key batters across the two sides. Neither Travis Head nor Riyan Parag has lit up the tournament yet and it doesn't often take them long to get going. SRH and RR will hope that they respectively turn up at the right time and deliver, particularly given that this potential four-pointer could have ramifications later in the competition. Notwithstanding that, this isn't a stage where teams can afford to lose momentum as the tournament reaches a tipping point.

Saturday, April 25 at 19:30 IST

Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

A typical, sunny April day with scorching temperatures. The average first innings total across seven matches at this venue in IPL 2025 was 198, pointing towards a fairly high-scoring ground should that trend continue. That said, bigger boundary dimensions and a surface that generally doesn't offer much bounce ought to keep skiddy bowlers interested.

SRH lead 13-9 after 22 matches and have won each of the five previous outings between these two teams. At Jaipur, it's deadlocked at 2-2.

There are no injuries to report from the RR camp

Ever since RR were reduced to 2/4 by Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain, their openers have been happy to bide their time (by their standards at least) and pick their moments in subsequent games. After two middling totals of 155 and 159 in trying conditions, expect the Royals to go harder in the Powerplay on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Ravi Bishnoi has dismissed Ishan Kishan four times in the IPL while conceding just 48 runs off 46 deliveries. Expect him to be introduced into the attack when the first wicket falls.

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

Injuries/Availability: "Been a long time coming, stinging to get back into it tomorrow", read a caption from Pat Cummins' social media post a day out of the game. As clear a sign as any that the Sunrisers skipper is finally set for his long-awaited comeback, with Dilshan Madushanka likely to make way.

Praful Hinge was the toast of town after his three-wicket opening over burst in the Hyderabad leg of this fixture. Although he sat out of the previous game, SRH may find it hard to resist the temptation of unleashing him again to reopen those scars and expose RR's middle-order early. From a batting standpoint, the onus would be on Abhishek Sharma (SR 462.5) and Heinrich Klaasen (SR 210) to put Bishnoi under the pump and shield Kishan from that matchup.

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

- Abhishek Sharma has two of the top five individual scores in the IPL, including the top two by an Indian batter. His four scores of 130+ are the most by a batter in this format. Chris Gayle and Aaron Finch have three apiece.

- Sakib Hussain is yet to concede a six across 12 overs bowled in IPL 2026 - the most overs sent down by a bowler without conceding a six this season.

- RR have bagged 18 wickets in the Powerplay in 7 games this season. That count is two more than their tally in the Powerplay throughout IPL 2025.

We just have to give ourselves 2-3 balls to understand how the wicket is going to play, what kind of bounce there's going to be, and we just play our game. We don't think so much. We don't have a plan behind it, but we just look to watch the ball and play our game - , SRH stand-in skipper

The way I'm batting an innings is not too far away, but as I've been saying, if I go in tomorrow and I play another game, it's going to be what the team needs. It's not me not scoring runs and taking my time getting 40 off 30. That's not going to happen. I go out there, assess conditions. If they want me to go at 200 from ball one, I will do that - , RR captain