IPL 2026: Sunrisers Hyderabad’s strongest predicted XI against Rajasthan Royals

Middle order: Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Salil Arora

Sunrisers struggled with their middle order woes against Punjab. After the openers added 120 off just 49 balls, they were able to put only 99 runs from the next 71 balls of the innings. Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy put on a rescue act against the Lucknow Super Giants, showing that there is firepower in the middle order. Klaasen himself has not been at his best, scoring at a much slower than his usual standard.

In Salil Arora, the Sunrisers have a highly-rated finisher, who returned to the team in place of England’s Liam Livingstone. Similarly, in Aniket Verma, they have a potent six-hitter, who showed what he can do with a brilliant 18-ball 43 against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening game.