SRH vs RR: SRH Masterplan Exposes RR Captaincy

In 36 Match of the IPL 2026, Sunrisers Hyderabad chased down 229 in 18.3 overs and beat Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur, in a game where Rajasthan’s mistakes played a big role in the result.

Rajasthan posted 228/6 after a brilliant century from Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who scored 103 off 37 balls with 12 sixes.

SRH dropped his catch early in the innings, and they paid the price. He also shared a good partnership with Dhruv Jurel, who made 51.

Rajasthan also dropped catches while defending the total. Abhishek Sharma was dropped twice during the chase,

He scored 57 and added a match winning partnership with Ishan Kishan, who made 74. Their stand took the game away from Rajasthan.

With this knock, Abhishek Sharma also moved to the top of the orange cap chart. He now holds the Orange Cap with 380 runs in 8 innings.

The bigger concern for Rajasthan was how the chase was handled. Captain Riyan Parag’s decisions did not work in their favour.

Sandeep Sharma was not part of the playing XI, and the team used part time bowlers in important phases.

Despite having options like Ravi Bishnoi and Ravindra Jadeja, both were given only one over each. After the powerplay, Parag brought himself into the attack, but it did not help in controlling the scoring.

Defending 229, Rajasthan never looked in control once the partnership between Kishan and Abhishek was set.

The bowling lacked discipline, and the dropped catches made the situation worse. Apart from Vaibhav & Dhruv Jurel innings, the batting did not contribute enough, and overall the team did not show the required urgency in the field.

The reaction from fans reflected the frustration. Many felt the issue was not just the loss, but the approach on the field.

Some even said Parag should step away from captaincy if things do not improve. A common view was that Rajasthan fans can accept losses, but the lack of intent is a bigger concern.

Rajasthan had enough runs on the board, but poor fielding, questionable decisions, and lack of control during the chase cost them the match.