SRH playoff scenario: Can Pat Cummins' team finish in the top 2?

SunRisers Hyderabad’s chances of finishing in the top two of the Indian Premier League were all but washed away after Gujarat Titans beat Chennai Super Kings by 89 runs in their last match of the league stage. The massive win gave second-seeded Gujarat such a huge increase in Net Run Rate that it is now almost impossible for third-seeded SRH to overtake them.

Pat Cummins’ SRH currently has a net run rate of +0.350, significantly lower than Gujarat’s +0.695. In an interview on JioStar about the equation, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra said that SRH will need something special to make it to the top two.

“It would take something extremely extraordinary for Sunrisers Hyderabad to move forward in the top two race,” Chopra said.

In their final league stage, SRH will face one of the toughest teams in the tournament, Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Hyderabad faced RCB in the opening game of IPL 2026 where they were comprehensively beaten by six wickets. Chasing down 202 runs, RCB raced home in just 15.4 overs, a victory that set the tone for their campaign this season.

To put things into perspective, even if SRH manage to get a massive win, qualifying for the top two still remains extremely difficult.

HOW CAN SRH FINISH IN THE TOP 2?

As explained earlier, it is almost impossible for SRH to beat the net run rate of Gujarat Titans. Therefore, their next best hope is to drag down RCB’s net run rate enough to move to second place in the league table.

And that is surprisingly still possible.

SRH can finish in the top two if they beat RCB by around 87 to 89 runs on Friday. Such a result would push Hyderabad’s net run rate close to +0.650 while pulling RCB down to somewhere between +0.635 and +0.645, which could knock Bengaluru down to third in the table.

If RCB bat first, SRH’s only realistic route into the top two would be to restrict the visitors to around 180 runs and chase down the target within 11 overs.

As Chopra said on JioStar, while the qualifying scenarios remain mathematically alive, the scale of what is required seems highly unlikely.

SRH vs RCB: PITCH REPORT

Friday’s match will be played on Hyderabad’s No. 2 pitch, traditionally one of the best batting surfaces at the venue. The Strip has already produced two batting masterclasses this season, with SRH posting 242 for 2 against Delhi Capitals and 234 for 4 against Punjab Kings, winning both matches comfortably after batting first.

With explosive batting units from both sides, another high-scoring encounter could be on the cards.

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Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

22 May 2026 14:46 IST

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