Two teams are on six points. One venue that has seen some of the wildest scores in IPL history. Taking place at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday, April 21, 7:30 PM IST, Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Capitals is Match 31 of IPL 2026, and at no better time.
Both the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals have won three games apiece this season. SRH sit fourth on the points table while DC are fifth. Points are level. Momentum is even. The only thing separating these two sides right now is the toss.
What makes the SRH vs DC 2025 and 2026 rivalry worth watching again is how differently both sides win. There is no doubt that SRH is a powerhouse at power play. DC hunts targets down with calm, calculated batting. Something has to give at Uppal on Tuesday.
In the IPL, Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Capitals is one of the most balanced rivalries, and the statistics back that up. After 26 meetings across 13 seasons, SRH lead 13-12. That is as close as a rivalry gets. One result, one dropped catch, one over can shift the entire ledger.
It is not a match between a strong team and a struggling one. It is a proper top-four battle where both sides need the win badly. Ishan Kishan captains SRH fresh off a gutsy 10-run win over CSK. Axar Patel leads DC after they chased down 176 against RCB in the final over.
Both teams are confident, both are dangerous, and both have reasons to believe this is their night.
Where to Watch Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Capitals
| Match | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Capitals |
| Stadium | Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad |
| Date & Time | Tuesday, April 21, 7:30 P.M. (IST) |
| Live TV (India) | Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports Telugu, Star Sports Tamil, Star Sports Kannada (and respective HD channels) |
| Live Streaming | JioHotstar |
SRH vs DC Head to Head Records
| Matches | 26 |
| SRH Wons | 13 |
| DC Wons | 12 |
| No Results | 1 |
| At Hyderabad (Uppal) | SRH 3, DC 3 |
| At Delhi (Arun Jaitley) | SRH 6, DC 1 |
SRH vs DC Pitch Report
The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad typically favors batsmen, but bowlers can still find some grip.
Early on, the surface offers decent pace and carry. Fast bowlers who hit the deck hard can extract genuine swing and movement in the first six overs. That is why teams like to bowl first here when they can, trying to get the damage in before conditions settle.
From over six to twelve, the pitch flattens out considerably. The ball stops doing as much, the outfield is quick, and batters with good eyes can take the game away in those middle overs. Heinrich Klaasen and KL Rahul are both dangerous in this phase.
By the second innings, dew becomes a big factor. When this happens reliably in Hyderabad night matches, the ball gets slippery, severely impacting spinners. Left-arm spin from Axar Patel could be far less effective in the back ten than it would be in a day game.
Two IPL 2026 matches at this venue have told contrasting stories. SRH posted 156/9 and lost to LSG (who chased 160/5), showing that totals around 155-165 are not safe here. But SRH then posted 216/6 and bowled RR out for 159, proving that 200-plus is a very different target to chase under lights.
Safe score benchmark: Anything above 185 is competitive. Above 200 becomes very hard to chase here, especially if bowlers use the pitch well in the first six overs.
Toss verdict: Bowl first. Dew will help the chasing team, and recent history at this ground supports the team batting second.
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Capitals Weather Report
There is no chance of rain in Hyderabad during the SRH vs DC match in IPL matchday 31. The temperature during the match will be around 29-32 degrees. The wind will blow at 11 km/h during the game from the West. The humidity will be 43 – 49%.
SRH vs DC Playing XI (Probabale )
For Sunrisers Hyderabad Playing 11
Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(C/WK), Heinrich Klaasen, Liam Livingstone, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Shivang Kumar, Praful Hinge, Sakib Hussain
Impact Player – Eshan Malinga
For Delhi Capitals Playing 11
Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul (WK), Sameer Rizvi, David Miller, Axar Patel (C), Tristan Stubbs, Auqib Nabi, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar
Impact Player – Ashutosh Sharma / Karun Nair
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Capitals Timeline (Last 10 Head-to-Head)
| Date | Winner | Margin | Venue | Key Performer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 2025 | No Result | Match Abandoned | Hyderabad | Pat Cummins (3/19) |
| March 30, 2025 | Delhi Capitals | 7 wickets | Visakhapatnam | Mitchell Starc (5/35) |
| April 20, 2024 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 67 runs | Delhi | Travis Head (89) |
| April 29, 2023 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 9 runs | Delhi | Mitchell Marsh (4/27 & 63) |
| April 24, 2023 | Delhi Capitals | 7 runs | Hyderabad | Axar Patel (2/21 & 34) |
| May 5, 2022 | Delhi Capitals | 21 runs | Mumbai (BS) | David Warner (92*) |
| Sept 22, 2021 | Delhi Capitals | 8 wickets | Dubai | Anrich Nortje (2/12) |
| April 25, 2021 | Delhi Capitals | Super Over | Chennai | Prithvi Shaw (53) |
| Nov 8, 2020 | Delhi Capitals | 17 runs | Abu Dhabi | Marcus Stoinis (38 & 3/26) |
| Oct 27, 2020 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 88 runs | Dubai | Rashid Khan (3/7) |
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Capitals Stats
- When SRH bat first and post 200 or more at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, they have won 100% of those games.
- DC won 4 of the last 6 meetings in this rivalry (2020 onwards), a run that says DC are the form team across the modern era of this fixture, regardless of the all-time ledger sitting 13-12 in SRH’s favour.
- Highest powerplay total in T20 cricket history: 125/0 by SRH against DC (April 20, 2024, Delhi)
- Kuldeep Yadav has dismissed Abhishek Sharma twice and Travis Head once in T20s, but he has yet to take the wicket of Heinrich Klaasen.
- Abhishek Sharma has scored 52 runs off 36 balls against Lungi Ngidi in T20s, falling to the bowler only once.
SRH vs DC Prediction
The form and head-to-head record are practically identical, and this is the most evenly matched match in IPL history.
SRH’s biggest edge is playing at home on a pitch they know well. Their bowling in Uppal this season has been excellent. Eshan Malinga’s three-wicket haul against CSK showed that even without Pat Cummins, SRH have true pace depth.
But DC has something important going for them: their chase record. DC pursued 176 against RCB in the final over, showing poise under pressure. KL Rahul, Tristan Stubbs, and David Miller make DC’s middle-order deeply reliable when runs are needed.
Without Cummins, SRH’s bowling suffers. Without their greatest pace option, DC’s aggressive top-order has a slightly smoother ride in the death overs.
The Toss winner presumably bowls first. Uppal may consistently expect dew in the latter portion of the game, and teams batting second have historically excelled there.
Predicted winner: Sunrisers Hyderabad. Home advantage, Abhishek Sharma in deadly form, and their disciplined bowling approach at Uppal give them the tiny edge. SRH’s 55% win probability in this match is feasible. It will not be comfy, though. Expect DC to take it deep.
Predicted scores:
SRH (batting first): 188-200
DC chase: 165-175 (SRH win by 15-20 runs)
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