Hyderabad: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will take on Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 49th match of the IPL season 2026 on 6th May at 7:30 PM at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. This is expected to be a highly intense and thrilling clash between the two teams—one being the table topper and the other placed third—meeting again for a rematch after both suffered defeats in their last matches on Sunday.
The table-topper PBKS come into this match after consecutive losses following an unbeaten streak, yet they still hold the top position on the points table with 13 points. Last year’s finalists PBKS started their campaign this season strongly and with confidence, appearing like a near-perfect team with almost no flaws. However, after the match against DC, where they recorded a historic and record-breaking highest successful run chase in IPL history of 265/4, they began to face bowling issues and started leaking runs. In the matches against DC, RR, and GT, PBKS bowlers were unable to defend strong totals. Against RR, they scored 222, but RR chased it down successfully. In the previous match against GT, PBKS faced an early batting collapse and managed only 163 runs, which again they failed to defend. Despite having quality bowlers like Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Xavier Bartlett, and Vijaykumar Vyshak, the team has struggled to maintain consistency in their bowling performances.
On the other hand, SRH hold the 3rd position on the table with 12 points. They bounced back strongly after a difficult start to their campaign, registering five consecutive wins. However, they recently suffered a heavy collapse against the KKR bowling attack at the same venue and faced a setback. Another concern for SRH is the availability of Nitish Kumar Reddy in this high-stakes clash. Reddy had missed SRH’s previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders due to illness, raising doubts over his participation. However, head coach Daniel Vettori provided an encouraging update on the all-rounder’s fitness ahead of the pre-match conference. Vettori indicated that he is on track to return, said: “He’s feeling a lot better. We don’t see a situation where he won’t play,” strongly hinting at Reddy’s inclusion in the playing XI, though there is still no official confirmation.
PBKS scored 223 and won by 6 wickets against SRH in their previous encounter earlier this season on 11 April at the PBKS home ground. In IPL history, both teams have played 25 matches against each other, with Sunrisers Hyderabad winning 17 of those encounters, while Punjab Kings have secured 8 victories.
PBKS Squad:
Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, Vishnu Vinod, Harnoor Pannu, Pyla Avinash, Prabhsimran Singh, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Harpreet Brar, Marco Jansen, Azmatullah Omarzai, Priyansh Arya, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Mitch Owen, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, Xavier Bartlett, Pravin Dubey, Vishal Nishad, Lockie Ferguson.
Punjab Kings expected Playing XI: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge, Nehal Wadhera, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Impact Player: Vijaykumar Vyshak
Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad:
Ishan Kishan, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Harshal Patel, Liam Livingstone, Pat Cummins, Jaydev Unadkat, Aniket Verma, Smaran Ravichandran, Salil Arora, Kamindu Mendis, Harsh Dubey, Brydon Carse, Shivam Kumar, Krains Fuletra, David Payne, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Onkar Tarmale, Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Shivam Mavi.
Sunrisers Hyderabad Playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Pat Cummins (c), Harsh Dubey, Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge.
Impact Player: Eshan Malinga
Weather in Hyderabad is expected to be mostly favorable for cricket. Temperatures will be quite high during the day, around 32–36°C, but are expected to drop to a more manageable 25–30°C by the evening during match time. The sky is likely to remain partly cloudy to clear, with a very low chance of rain, so interruptions are unlikely. Humidity levels may hover around 45–50%, which could make conditions slightly sticky for fielders. As the match progresses into the night, dew is likely to settle in, making the ball slippery and often giving an advantage to the chasing side. Overall, fans can expect a full match under hot but playable conditions. The pitch at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad is expected to be batting-friendly, offering good bounce and pace that supports stroke play. Fast bowlers may get slight assistance early on, while spinners could become effective later as the surface slows down. With dew likely in the evening, chasing teams may have an advantage, and a high-scoring match is expected. This clash between SRH and PBKS will be very interesting to watch—whether SRH will be able to take revenge and bounce back after their last defeat, or PBKS will continue to hold their position as table toppers.
