Sunrisers Hyderabad's players during a practice session ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 T20 cricket match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, in Hyderabad.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Nearly two months ago, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad kicked off this IPL season carrying expectation and different kinds of pressure. RCB arrived as the defending champion while SRH sought to turn promise into authority.The sides meet again on Friday (May 22, 2026) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, this time in the business end of the tournament. Royal Challengers, moving with ruthless efficiency, are close to sealing top spot, with Sunrisers hoping to break into the top two.SRH will challenge the visitor with a vastly different bowling attack from their previous meeting, when Jaydev Unadkat and Harshal Patel led the unit in captain Pat Cummins’ absence. Eshan Malinga has emerged as Sunrisers’ talisman with 17 wickets, while Sakib Hussain (14) and Praful Hinge (11) have offered strong support.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Devdutt Padikkal during a practice session ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 T20 cricket match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, in Hyderabad.
