IPL 2026, RR vs SRH Today Match: Rajasthan Royals left out key finisher Shimron Hetmyer from their playing XI for Match 21 of the Indian Premier League 2026 against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Monday, April 13, 2026. The decision raised eyebrows given Hetmyer’s reputation as a match-winner in the death overs. The decision raised questions among fans, but it was confirmed to be a tactical move rather than an injury concern. “We’ve got two changes. Brijesh steps out and Tushar Deshpande comes in. Hetty gets a rest and Pretorius makes his debut,” Parag said at toss.
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Parag indicated that Hetmyer had been rested as part of a workload management strategy. In a long tournament like the IPL, teams often rotate players to keep them fresh for the latter stages.
The West Indies batter has had a modest run so far this season, scoring 24 runs in four matches at an average of 12.00 and a strike rate of 150.00.
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His absence provided an opportunity for South African batter Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who made his IPL debut. The 21-year-old, known for his aggressive approach, was brought in to strengthen Rajasthan’s middle order.
Rajasthan, unbeaten in the tournament with four wins from four matches, also brought back Tushar Deshpande in place of Brijesh Sharma to bolster their pace attack alongside Jofra Archer, Sandeep Sharma and Nandre Burger.
Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad retained their core lineup, relying on their top order featuring Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen as they looked to bounce back from a recent defeat.
Playing XIs
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (c & wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Praful Hinge, Eshan Malinga
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Lhuandre Pretorius, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande
Impact Subs — RR: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravi Singh, Shubham Dubey, Brijesh SharmaImpact Subs — SRH: Smaran Ravichandran, Saqib Hussain, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mavi, Harshal Patel