KOLKATA : Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) take on Delhi Capitals (DC) in the 31st match of the IPL 2026 season on 21 April, Tuesday at 7:30 PM at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. After two consecutive home wins, SRH will aim to continue their winning momentum, while DC have become confident and will try to achieve another victory after winning their last match against RCB.
SRH have made a strong comeback with their bowling attack in the league, which was their major concern at the start of the season. With changes in the playing XI, SRH have registered back-to-back wins, including in the last match after defending 194 against Chennai Super Kings. Their bowling unit has delivered strong performances, with contributions from Eshan Malinga, Nitish Reddy, Sakib Hussain, and Shivang Kumar. While Praful Hinge had an off day, his composure in the final over remains a positive sign. They also have the firing opening duo of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, who have been contributing well but inconsistently. The middle order is controlled by Heinrich Klaasen, who is also the current Orange Cap holder. The temporary captain Ishan Kishan is also trying to contribute effectively. Nitish Kumar Reddy has continued his impressive form this season, contributing both with bat and ball, and has played a crucial role in taking wickets.
Before the match, in the pre-match press conference, assistant coach James Franklin was full of praise for the young all-rounder, highlighting his growth and maturity. He said:
“It’s great to see Nitish play the way he’s been playing this year. Last season, by his own admission, he didn’t quite perform at the level he expected. But that became a valuable learning phase for him,” James Franklin said. He also spoke about Reddy’s bowling improvement: “The way he’s sequencing his deliveries and adapting to different batters has really stood out. His form is encouraging, but the challenge will be to maintain it through a long tournament,” he added. SRH currently hold 4th position on the table with 6 points and a net run rate of +0.5666, becoming one of the top teams in the league.
On the other side, DC, after losing two consecutive matches, secured a win in their last game against RCB. KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs led the recovery from a top-order collapse, while David Miller sealed the win, redeeming himself after a previous error. This was RCB’s first defeat at their home ground this season. DC have a strong bowling lineup with Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, and Mukesh Kumar. However, they have struggled with frequent top-order batting collapses. KL Rahul has found his form again and handled the innings well, but to continue in the league, they need to improve their batting order stability.
Historically, DC have had the edge over SRH in Hyderabad, winning two of the last three completed matches at this venue. In IPL history, both teams have played 36 matches, where SRH have won 13 and DC have won 12, with 1 match ending in no result.
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, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Reddy, Aniket Verma, Salil Arora, Liam Livingstone/Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Praful Hinge, Sakib Hussain
Impact Player: Ehsan Malinga
Delhi Capitals Squad:
KL Rahul, Karun Nair, David Miller, Ben Duckett, Pathum Nissanka, Sahil Parakh, Prithvi Shaw, Abishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Ajay Mandal, Tripurana Vijay, Madhav Tiwari, Nitish Rana, Mitchell Starc, T. Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Dushmantha Chameera, Auqib Nabi, Lungi Ngidi, Kyle Jamieson, Kuldeep Yadav.
Delhi Capitals (Playing XI):
KL Rahul, Pathum Nissanka, Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel, Auqib Nabi, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mukesh Kumar
Impact Player: T Natarajan
The weather in Hyderabad is expected to be mostly favorable for play, though not completely risk-free. Temperatures during the evening match hours should hover around 28–30°C with partly cloudy skies and moderate to high humidity. There is a higher chance of rain or even thunderstorms earlier in the day, but by the time the match begins, the probability of rain drops significantly to a low level, meaning a full game is likely. However, there remains a slight possibility of brief interruptions due to passing showers, and dew later in the evening could also influence playing conditions. The pitch is generally batting-friendly with decent bounce, though it can be a bit slow early on. As the match progresses, it becomes easier for stroke play, and dew in the second innings often helps chasing teams. In the last two matches here, scores were roughly between 160 and 216, giving an average around 180–190, which means 180+ is a fighting total and 200+ is a very strong score on this ground. It will be interesting to see who achieves the final positive result in this clash.
