Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins has made it clear that his side will stick to its fearless brand of cricket during the IPL 2026 playoffs, insisting SRH will become “even more aggressive” rather than playing cautiously under knockout pressure. Sunrisers Hyderabad are set to face Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2026 Eliminator at the New International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh, with the winner keeping their title hopes alive.
Having already defeated RR twice during the league stage, SRH enter the knockout clash carrying both momentum and a psychological edge. Interestingly, Sunrisers Hyderabad remain the only franchise in IPL history to win the tournament after starting from the Eliminator — a remarkable achievement they accomplished during their memorable 2016 title-winning campaign.
Pat Cummins believes his side can repeat that feat despite needing three consecutive victories to lift the trophy this season. “I think you want to keep a lot of things similar to what got you into the finals,” Cummins said ahead of the high-pressure encounter. “But there’s also a bit more pressure and nerves in knockout games, so you need to acknowledge that. I always think about how you’ll look back on the match with no regrets,” he added.
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The Australian skipper stressed that pressure situations should encourage teams to play with even greater freedom rather than becoming defensive.
“Instead of being more conservative, try and be even more aggressive. We have to win three games in a row to win the title, and we’ve already shown during the season that we can do that,” Pat Cummins explained.
A major focus for SRH heading into the Eliminator will be Rajasthan Royals teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who has emerged as one of the biggest stars of IPL 2026. The 15-year-old batter has scored 583 runs in 14 matches at a stunning strike rate above 232, including a century against Sunrisers earlier in the season.
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Pat Cummins admitted SRH have spent extra time preparing plans specifically for the young batting sensation. “There are always one or two players in every lineup who can take the game away from you, and Vaibhav is definitely one of them,” Cummins said. “Even though he scored a hundred against us last time, there were phases where we bowled well to him and managed to keep him quiet. We’ll learn from that and come back with better plans,” the SRH captain added.
With aggressive batting, strong recent form, and confidence from previous wins over the Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad head into the Eliminator believing another deep playoff run is well within reach.
