Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) face off in their final IPL 2026 group stage match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad on Friday, 22 May, with playoff positioning on the line for both sides. The high-stakes encounter carries significant implications for the top-two standings heading into the knockout rounds.

Playoff Stakes for Both Sides

SRH arrive at this fixture having engineered a remarkable turnaround after losing three of their first four matches. They have since secured their playoff berth and currently sit third on the points table with 16 points from 13 matches. A win on Friday would lift them to 18 points and significantly boost their prospects of a top-two finish, which guarantees two bites at the final.

RCB, meanwhile, were the first team to confirm their playoff spot this season. They head into this match on the back of a 23-run victory over Punjab Kings and lead the points table with 18 points from 13 matches. Rajat Patidar's side will be targeting a win to cement their top-two standing ahead of the playoffs.

Head-to-Head Record

SRH hold a narrow edge in the all-time head-to-head contest against RCB. Across 27 meetings between the two franchises, SRH have won 14 while RCB have claimed 12. The two sides last met in the IPL 2026 season opener, where RCB beat SRH by 6 wickets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru — a result SRH will be keen to reverse on home turf.

Match Details and Broadcast Information

The match is scheduled for Friday, 22 May, with play beginning at 7:30 PM IST at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. The game will be broadcast live on Star Sports channels, while JioHotstar will carry the live stream for digital viewers.

Full Squads

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Smaran Ravichandran, Abhishek Sharma, Harsh Dubey, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (c), Eshan Malinga, Jaydev Unadkat, Harshal Patel, Salil Arora, Praful Hinge, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mavi, Jack Edwards, Brydon Carse, Sakib Hussain, Zeeshan Ansari, Aniket Verma, Amit Kumar, Krains Fuletra.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rajat Patidar (c), Virat Kohli, Tim David, Jacob Bethell, Romario Shepherd, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jordan Cox, Suyash Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer, Swapnil Singh, Jacob Duffy, Kanishk Chouhan, Abhinandan Singh, Mangesh Yadav, Phil Salt, Satvik Deswal, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra.

With both teams eyeing the top-two advantage, Friday's encounter at Hyderabad shapes up as one of the most consequential group stage finales of the IPL 2026 season.