Liam Livingstone In or Out? SRH Predicted Playing XI vs RR, IPL 2026, Match 21

SRH's predicted XI vs RR [Source: AP]

The Sunrisers Hyderabad are set to lock horns with the in-form Rajasthan Royals in Match 21 of IPL 2026 at Hyderabad on April 13 at 7:30 PM. They are on the lookout to find some form after only one win in four matches so far, as opposed to four wins in four games for the table-toppers RR.

As they sit sixth on the points table, with the solitary win coming against KKR in Eden Gardens, they have multiple batters firing at all cylinders across the batting lineup. They have breached the 200-run mark in 3/4 games so far. In the bowling department, the crafty Harsh Dubey is leading them with 5 scalps, with tight and smart bowling.

They will face a significant challenge against a high-flying RR, who have the opening pair of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal in form, much like Dhruv Jurel, followed by some middle-order experience. Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi has rediscovered his old form and is competing at the top of the purple cap race, having picked 9 scalps in 4 games.

As the 2016 IPL champions, SRH, look to win their first IPL 2026 game at home, we take a look at their expected XI for the night.

SRH Likely XI vs RR- IPL 2026, Match 21

Top Order- Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (c)(wk)

The explosive opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head have already given them a few swashbuckling starts in the tournament. In the last match against the Punjab Kings, they combined for 120 runs in 8.1 overs before the two were dismissed in the same over.

In IPL 2026, Abhishek has 129 runs in 4 innings at a strike rate of 218.61, and Head has 102 runs at 167.21.

At number 3 will be the captain and wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan, who started the competition with a knock of 80 runs, before adding another 42 in the next 3 innings. He has gotten 122 runs in 4 innings at a strike rate of about 180 as their third-highest scorer.

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Middle Order and All Rounders- Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Aniket Verma, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar

Heinrich Klaasen, who came into the competition in poor form, has started finding his momentum early in IPL 2026. He has scored 184 runs in 4 innings at a strike rate of 140.45, while also scoring two fifties, trying to rescue a couple of collapses and is second on the orange cap leaderboard behind Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 200 runs.

Nitish Kumar Reddy has scored 150 runs in 4 innings at a strike rate of 150 and was also named player of the match for his all-round effort against KKR. Contrary to the last season, he has bowled a lot more and picked 2/17 against KKR to go with his 39 (24).

The explosive duo of Aniket Verma and Salil Arora will be the designated finishers at 6 and 7 for SRH. Aniket Verma proved his worth in the first match of the season with a 43(18) vs RCB and will be crucial in the second half of the innings with his six-hitting ability.

Salil Arora is yet to fire in IPL 2026, but has a T20 career strike rate of 191.37 for 377 runs to his name.

The left-arm orthodox spinner, Harsh Dubey, with 5 wickets in 4 innings at an economy rate of just over 8, will be batting at 8. He can chip in with some crucial boundaries at the end and is given a bowling role inside the powerplay and death, where he has bowled tight overs, including a 2/18 (4) in the tournament already.

Shivang Kumar, who brings a different facet to the SRH bowling lineup with his left-arm wrist spin, will bat 9 with a T20 career strike rate of 144.68. After impressing in the MP T20 League, he has picked 4 wickets in 3 matches as SRH’s second-best bowler.

Bowlers- Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga

Jaydev Unadkat, who can also hit a boundary or two, is likely to continue in the playing XI after 4 wickets in the first four matches. He was said to be out of the XI in the last match but eventually took the field as an impact substitute in the second innings, showing SRH’s confidence in him.

Eshan Malinga has been among the trusted overseas bowlers in the SRH setup, who can operate across phases of play. He is yet to do exceedingly well in IPL 2026, but has 3 wickets in 4 innings, conceding at 11.36 runs per over.

SRH Playing XI vs RR- Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (c)(wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Aniket Verma, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga