IPL 2026: Riyan Parag wins the toss; RR elect to bowl first against SRH

Riyan Parag (File pic)

Rajasthan Royals won the toss and elected to bowl first against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The two teams are facing off at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

RR are at the top of the IPL league table, having won 4 out of their opening 4 matches. Meanwhile, SRH are struggling with only 1 win in the season so far.

After winning the toss, Riyan Parag was happy to bowl first and chase the score later. The RR skipper added that he wants his team to continue their momentum after starting the season with a bang.

"We'll be bowling first. A new wicket for us, first time it's been used this season as well. So hopefully there's a little bit of stickiness at the start. We've chased down a lot of totals here. We fell short in 2024, so hopefully not the case this time. We've got two changes. Brijesh steps out, and Tushar Deshpande comes in. Hetty gets a rest, and Pretorius makes his debut. It's been a journey. I was under (Sanju Samson) Bhaiya for the longest time, and then Sanga did really well in improving me with all the decisions and involved me in all the tactical and strategic meetings. Now I think I've taken the onus up. Had to make a lot of tough calls, but happy to be here." Parag said.

Ishan Kishan said that he would have opted to bowl first as well if he had won the toss. The Indian star will hope that SRH can get the much-needed two points in their match today after a defeat last time out.

"We've got two changes from the last game, Henge coming in. I think I've been doing this for a long time. I was a leader in Under-19 India, I've been doing it for my state team, and I think it makes you more aware of the situation, more focused on the game. You look to do more for your team because it's never about individual performance; it's always about teamwork. I think obviously it makes a difference when you're the captain of the team, and you've been doing well. It shows a lot of maturity that a player has a certain amount of growth in him now. So it did help me a bit in the last few years when I've been a leader of my side and done well for the team," Kishan said.

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