Rajasthan Royals stand in skipper Riyan Parag have won the toss and elected to bowl first against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Sanju Samson will be playing the match as an impact substitute as he continues to recover from his injury.
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubham Dubey, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag(c), Dhruv Jurel(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins(c), Simarjeet Singh, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami
Impact substitutes for both the teams:
Rajasthan Royals Impact Subs
Sanju Samson, Kunal Singh Rathore, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Kwena Maphaka
Sunrisers Hyderabad Impact Subs
Sachin Baby, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, Adam Zampa, Wiaan Mulder
Squads
SRH: Pat Cummins (c), Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klassen, Nitish Reddy, Ishan Kishan, Mohammad Shami, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, Adam Zampa, Atharva Taide, Abhinav Manohar, Simarjeet Singh, Zeeshan Ansari, Jaydev Unadkat, Kamindu Mendis, Aniket Verma, Eshan Malinga, Sachin Baby, Wiaan Mulder.
RR: Sanju Samson (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Sandeep Sharma, Jofra Archer, Wainindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, Nitish Rana, Tushar Deshpande, Shubham Dubey, Yudhvir Charak, Fazal Farooqi, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kwena Maphaka, Kunal Rathore, Ashok Sharma.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, last year’s runners-up, kick off their IPL 2025 campaign with a clash against Rajasthan Royals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday. The home team will look to build on their strong batting performances from the previous season, where they surpassed the 250-run mark three times. The explosive opening duo of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, who set an IPL PowerPlay record with 125 runs against Delhi Capitals, will continue to lead the charge. Adding firepower to their already formidable lineup is the arrival of Ishan Kishan, joining Head, Abhishek, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Heinrich Klaasen.
However, it’s the revamped bowling attack that will be the key focus this season. The pace department is strengthened with the addition of Mohammed Shami and Harshal Patel alongside captain Pat Cummins, while Rahul Chahar and Adam Zampa are brought in for their spin expertise. On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals, now without Jos Buttler, will rely on the attacking prowess of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, and Riyan Parag. These three have shown a strong ability against pace, with a combined strike rate of 159.16 against fast bowlers last season, which could be crucial in countering SRH’s explosive batting style.
