IPL 2026: Ishan Kishan stars with 91 as SRH post 216/6 against RR

Ishan Kishan (Pic: ANI)

Sunrisers Hyderabad posted a strong total of 216/6 at the end of 20 overs against Rajasthan Royals. The hosts got off to a slow start, but captain Ishan Kishan played a brilliant knock to take SRH to a competitive total.

Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for a golden duck, top-edging the very first ball of the innings straight to third man. Jofra Archer struck immediately, giving RR a dream start.

Soon after the powerplay, RR captain Riyan Parag picked up the wicket of Travis Head. The Australian batter attempted to accelerate the scoring but was caught at long-on for just 18 runs.

Ishan Kishan then rose to the occasion, scoring a superb 91 off just 44 balls. The left-hander smashed 8 fours and 6 sixes, leading from the front when his team needed him the most. Along with Heinrich Klaasen, he stitched together a crucial 88-run partnership in just 39 balls to bring SRH back on track.

In the death overs, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Salil Arora provided a strong finish, helping SRH reach 216/6 in their allotted 20 overs.

For RR, Archer was the pick of the bowlers with two wickets, while Parag and Sandeep Sharma claimed one wicket each.

Chasing 217, RR will rely on Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to provide a solid start. With a deep batting line-up and players in good form, the Royals will be confident of chasing down the target.

RR are aiming for their fifth consecutive win of the season, having already defeated CSK, MI, and RCB in their previous matches. They currently sit at the top of the IPL table with an unbeaten record.

Confirmed Playing XI for both teams:

Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w/c), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Praful Hinge, Eshan Malinga

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande