SunRisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals, Indian Premier League 2020 Match 26: As it happened

After losing their last four games on the trot, Rajasthan Royals will look to bounce back against fifth-placed SunRisers Hyderabad in Dubai

Image credits: Twitter/@IPL

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of match number 26 of IPL 2020 between SunRisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals that is all set to begin soon on Sunday (October 11) from the Dubai International Stadium.

Rajasthan Royals have beaten SunRisers Hyderabad by 5 wickets in a nail-biting contest. 

Earlier, SunRisers Hyderabad have won the toss and chose to bat first against Rajasthan Royals and posted a competitive total of 158/4.

Rajasthan Royals have waned away after a strong start to their competition where they had won their opening two matches. They have lost their last four games on the trot which has seen them slip to a lowly seventh position in the points table. 

Their batting has especially let them down in these four games with the team scoring 137, 154, 136 and 138 respectively in these four losses. Rajasthan Royals will be desperately looking at the return of star all-rounder Ben Stokes for a turnaround in fortunes. 

Stokes can potentially participate and rally the Royals against SRH, after having been in quarantine since the past week but a call on his form and fitness will be taken by the team management on the eve of the game.

SunRisers, meanwhile, sit at the fifth position in the points table after having won three and losing as many games in their six matches so far.

With the matches coming thick and fast, they would be fancying their chances against a side like Royals, who are lacking confidence at the moment.

SunRisers had won some scrappy games but never really looked emphatic in those victories. They had put up some dismal performances so far with the bat so far but finally came good in their last game against Kings XI Punjab where they scored 201 runs. Jonny Bairstow was on fire in their last outing with a frantic knock of 97 from 55 balls. 

SunRisers will thus look to start firing on all cylinders in this one to build some much needed momentum for the crucial latter half of the competition.

The match, as it happened: 

11 October 2020

19:41 IST

What a way to win the game. A MAXIMUM by Riyan Parag as @rajasthanroyals beat #SRH by 5 wickets.

This has been absolutely phenomenal by Tewatia and Parag.#Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/vchiPNAPWJ

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) October 11, 2020

19:21 IST

Rajasthan Royals have beaten SunRisers Hyderabad by 5 wickets. With 22 needed from the final two overs, Tewatia hit a four and a six of Natarajan's 19th over to bring his side right on the cusp of victory.  A total of 14 runs came from the penultimate over with 8 runs needed from the final 6 balls. Khaleel bowled a great final over but with 2 runs needed from 2 balls, he bowled a full-toss which was graciously hit for six by youngster Parag to finish off the match. Tewatia scored a magnificient 45 (off 28 balls) while Parag justified his place in the star-studded side with a gritty knock of 42 (off 26 balls). RR: 163/5 (19.5 Overs)

19:01 IST

Tewatia is doing a Tewatia again. The miracle man is back at it as he hits three consecutive fours of Rashid Khan's 18th over. 14 runs from that over. Tewatia is then lucky enough to survive on the penultimate ball as Jonny Bairstow misses a difficult caught behind first and then the ball goes of Bairstow's bat and crashes into the stumps - Tewatia would have been run-out as he was out of the crease but the bails don't come off. What Drama!  22 needed now from 12 balls. RR: 137/5 (18 Overs)

18:56 IST

Brilliant fightback this from youngster Parag and Tewatia. They first hit a six and follow it up with two fours to get 18 runs from Sandeep Sharma's 17th over. 36 needed from 18 balls. RR: 123/5 (18 Overs)

18:50 IST

Teawtia is failing to time them today while youngster Riyan Parag hits a huge six of Khaleel's final ball of his third over to make some amends. They need a lot more of these but this is a very very difficult pitch for such big hits. 54 needed from 24 balls. RR: 105/5 (16 Overs)

18:36 IST

Rahul Tewatia is now at the crease. Can he do another miracle here? With 71 needed from 36 balls, they certainly need something special. Tewtia is currently at 4 off 8 balls. RR: 88/5 (14 Overs)

18:30 IST

Rashid Khan, you beauty!

Picks up another wicket and this time it is Samson who has to depart.#RR 5 down with 78 runs on the board.#Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/ZiKiJzmgBn

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) October 11, 2020

Rashid pick-up his second in the match - What a match-winner he is. 

18:23 IST

OUT!! HUGE WICKET!! Sanju Samson is out caught behind of Rashid Khan. Is that the game? It surely looks like it. He has no answers against Rashid's wrong one and Bairstow takes a fantastic catch, showing good reflexes. RR: 78/5 (12 Overs)

18:23 IST

At the halfway mark, #RR are 67/4

Live - https://t.co/uaylR8mH7g #Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/ugAo8rvhko

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) October 11, 2020

18:13 IST

OUT!! WICKET!! Robin Uthappa is dismissed Lbw by Rashid Khan on the very first ball after the strategic time-out. Uthappa reviewed the decision but it was always going against him as he was trapped on the back-foot. The review is lost and Rajathan lose their fourth. RR: 67/4 (10 Overs)

18:03 IST

Robin Uthappa and Sanju Samson are trying to steady the ship. They are only hitting the bad balls for boundaries but the thing is that SRH's strong bowling deliver very few bad balls. Natarajan, who gave away 12 runs from his first over, bowls a maiden in his second over. Rashid Khan is then brought into the attack and immediately troubles both batsmen with strong LBW appeals against them. RR: 52/3 (8 Overs)

17:57 IST

Two big wickets for Khaleel Ahmed as #RR are 36/3 at the end of the powerplay.

Live - https://t.co/uaylR8mH7g #Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/eLfIh6mCms

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) October 11, 2020

17:53 IST

OUT!!  HUGE WICKET!! Jos Buttler is dismissed caught behind by Khallel Ahmed. What is happening out there ? Another collapse from Rajasthan Royals ? It was a good length off-cutter from Khaleel which came very slowly onto the bat and the ball picks up the edge of Buttler's bat and Bairstow completes a good low catch in the deep. Samson and Uthappa are both new to the crease now. RR: 36/3 (5 Overs)

17:48 IST

OUT!! Steve Smith is run-out. Natarajan was welcomed into the attack by Buttler with a four and a six but then Rajastha are dealt a huge blow with Smith getting run-out. Buttler had pulled the ball and the duo were late indeciding the second run, if they had ran the second run early - Smith would have completed the run. RR: 26/2 (4 Overs)

17:39 IST

That's a short stay at the crease for Ben Stokes.

Khaleel Ahmed picks his first.

Live - https://t.co/uaylR8mH7g #Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/UOPjEyaySO

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) October 11, 2020

17:34 IST

OUT!! BIG WICKET!! Ben Stokes is bowled by Khaleel Ahmed. The gamble to open the innings with big-hitting Ben Stokes doesn't work as he is dismissed just for 5. Stokes wanted to pull the ball through midwicket but because of the slow pitch, the ball outside-off took his inside edge and crashed onto the leg stump. Steve Smith is the new man in. RR: 10/1 (2 Overs)

17:27 IST

Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler will open Rajasthan Royals' innings against SunRisers Hyderabad's Sandeep Sharma. RR: 0/0 (0 Overs)

Ben Stokes is opening the innings!

17:21 IST

Innings Break!@rajasthanroyals restrict #SRH to a total of 158/3 . Will this be chased down by #RR or will #SRH pull things back?

Live - https://t.co/uaylR8mH7g #Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/f8qzl8NKjj

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) October 11, 2020

17:19 IST

Not a huge target, but we need smart batting on this tricky surface to take us home.#SRHvRR | #HallaBol | #RoyalsFamily | #IPL2020 pic.twitter.com/KwkoLvULiv

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) October 11, 2020

17:14 IST

SunRisers Hyderabad have posted a competitive total of 158/4 against Rajasthan Royals. Kane Williamson (22 off 12) and Priyam Garg (15 off 8 balls) finished brilliantly in the final two overs. They first picked-up 19 runs from Jofra Archer's 19th over and followed it up with 16 runs from the final over bowled by Jaydev Unadkat. The dupo did well to wait for the slower balls and then went for their shots. It is a very competitive total on a very slow wicket. SRH: 158/4 (20 Overs)

16:56 IST

OUT!! WICKET!! Manish Pandey is dismissed by Jaydev Unadkat. It was a very slow short ball and a tired Manish Pandey heaved everthing at it but completely miscues the timings and ends up giving an easy catch to Rahul Tewatia at long-on. The pitch is painfully slow today and now we know why Unadkat was brought back in to replace Varun Aaron. Only 6 runs came from Unadkat's 18th over along with the wicket. SRH: 123/3 (18 Overs)

16:53 IST

FIFTY for Manish Pandey! 

His 2nd in #IPL2020#SRH - 109/2 (16)#SRHvRR #OrangeArmy #KeepRising pic.twitter.com/2wMwUYYAIW

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) October 11, 2020

16:49 IST

Manish Pandey has continued to go strong and has reached his half-century. He picks-up 15 runs from Tewatia's final over but Kartik Tyagi bowls a brilliant 17th over where he gives away just 8 runs. SRH need the big hits now. They would be relying on the able shoulders of Kane Williamson and the well-set Pandey. SRH: 117/2 (17 Overs)

16:40 IST

OUT!! WICKET!! HUGE!! David Warner is bowled by Jofra Archer with a scorching 145kph yorker. Warner was making room for himself and wanted to drive through the covers but the ball was perhaps too fast and too accurate. Kane Williamson is the new man in for SunRisers. SRH: 96/2 (15 Overs)

16:28 IST

Unadkat brought back into the team after leaking away runs in his earlier games is bowling much better today. He is bowling according to the field and has given away just 9 runs in his first two overs. From the other end miracle man Rahul Tewatia has bowled three quick overs for just 22 runs. While Warner is looking good, Manish Pandey is struggling to get going. He is unable to time the ball well and is failing to place the ball. SRH: 83/1 (13 Overs)

16:20 IST

Much better from SunRisers. They have done very well to ensure that they don't lose any wickets and are now making sure that they score at least one boundary in each over. Warner is timing it pretty well now while Pandey is keeping the scoreboard ticking by rotating the strike. SRH: 74/1 (11 Overs)

16:09 IST

Milestone @im_manishpandey brings up 3000 runs in the IPL #Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/q9ns8ilc3a

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) October 11, 2020

16:03 IST

Better from SunRisers Hyderabad ever since Manish Pandey has come on. He immediately hit Rahul Tewatia for a six to give a nice account of himself. Warner follows it up with a huge six against Shreyas Gopal in the next over. But they still need a lot more to post something competitive. SRH: 49/1 (8 Overs)

15:58 IST

At the end of the powerplay, #SRH are 26/1.

Live - https://t.co/uaylR8mH7g #Dream11IPL #SRHvRR pic.twitter.com/6RvHgLPZw5

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) October 11, 2020

Very good stuff from Rajasthan Royals

15:56 IST

How good has @davidwarner31 been for the @SunRisers ?#Dream11IPL #SRHvRR pic.twitter.com/ICdc2n7dWC

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) October 11, 2020

15:51 IST

OUT!! WICKET!! Jonny Bairstow is dismissed by youngster Kartik Tyagi. He had just hit Tyagi for a huge six over square-leg and tried to play the exact same shot again but this time he miscues and Sanju Samson in the deep takes a brilliant diving catch. Bairstow was visibly frustrated with all the tight lines that the Royals bowled earlier and was inching to go big. Manish Pandey is the new man in. SRH: 23/1 (5 Overs)

15:46 IST

Still no getting away for SunRisers. Jofra Archer follows his first over by giving away just 1 run in his second over. Warner scores the first boundary for his team in Shreyas Gopal's second over but still only 7 runs come from that over. Very good stuff from Rajasthan. SRH: 13/0 (4 Overs)

15:37 IST

Good bowling from Rajasthan Royals. Archer gives away just 2 runs in the opening over whereas leggie Shreyas Gopal follows suit and bowls a tight first over giving away just 3 runs. Very tight lines here, Hyderabad will be forced to go over the top of infield against it. SRH: 5/0 (2 Overs)

15:30 IST

David Warner and Jonny Bairstow will open SunRisers Hyderabad's innings. Jofra Archer will start Rajasthan's bowling attack. SRH: 0/0 (0 Overs)

15:25 IST

A look at the Playing XI for #SRHvRR #Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/3J8lPFM643

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) October 11, 2020

15:18 IST

The  is .#SRHvRR | #HallaBol | #IPL2020 | @benstokes38 pic.twitter.com/SzrzoCODl5

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) October 11, 2020

15:16 IST

RT when you see it. #SRHvRR | #HallaBol | #RoyalsFamily | #IPL2020 | @Dream11 pic.twitter.com/c1ziYBtBq1

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) October 11, 2020

Ben Stokes is back!! 

15:14 IST

 change: Shankar comes in for Samad

 Check our full lineup #SRHvRR #OrangeArmy #KeepRising pic.twitter.com/Qb55JbKISh

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) October 11, 2020

15:10 IST

Rajasthan Royals playing XI: Jos Buttler (wk), Robin Uthappa, Sanju Samson, Steven Smith (capt), Ben Stokes, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Shreyas Gopal, Jofra Archer, Varun Aaron, Kartik Tyagi

Ben Stokes is playing his first game of the season today. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mahipal Lomror and Andrew Tye are out while Ben Stokes, Robin Uthappa and Riyan Parag have come in for Rajasthan

15:08 IST

Sunrisers Hyderabad playing XI: David Warner (capt), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Priyam Garg, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Rashid Khan, T Natarajan, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma

Vijay Shankar replaces Abdul Samad for SRH

15:08 IST

Sunrisers Hyderabad playing XI: David Warner (capt), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Priyam Garg, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Rashid Khan, T Natarajan, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma

Vijay Shankar replaces Abdul Samad for SRH

15:07 IST

#SRH have won the toss and they will bat first against #RR at Dubai.#Dream11IPL #SRHvRR pic.twitter.com/DM5Tgl2Nqt

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) October 11, 2020

15:06 IST

SunRisers Hyderabad have won the toss and will bat first against Rajasthan Royals