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IPL 2026: Pretorius, Deshpande Come In As RR Elect To Bowl First Against SRH

Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium: Left-handed batter Lhuan-dre Pretorius and right-arm pacer Tushar Deshpande come in as Rajasthan Royals won the toss and elected to bowl first against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Monday. Inaugural champions RR arrive on the back of winning all four of their games, while SRH, the IPL 2016 winners, return to their home ground after losing to Punjab Kings by six wickets in New Chandigarh. Deshpande replaces Brijesh Sharma, while Pretorius comes in as Shimron Hetmyer is rested. A new wicket for us, first time its been used this season as well. So hopefully theres a little bit of stickiness at the start. Weve chased down a lot of totals here. We fell short in 2024, so hopefully not the case this time. Its been a journey. I was under (Sanju Samson) Bhaiya for the longest time, and then Sanga did really well in improving me with all the decisions and involved me in all the tactical and strategic meetings. Now I think Ive taken the onus up. Had to make a lot of tough calls, but happy to be here, said RR captain Riyan Parag. SRH skipper Ishan Kishan said fast bowlers Sakib Hussain and Praful Hinge replaced experienced pacers Jaydev Unadkat and Harshal Patel. I think Ive been doing this for a long time. I was a leader in Under-19 India, Ive been doing it for my state team, and I think it makes you more aware of the situation, more focused on the game. You look to do more for your team because its never about individual performance, its always about teamwork. So we have done it, and I think were doing it in a very good manner. I think obviously it makes a difference when youre the captain of the team and youve been doing well. It shows a lot of maturity, that a player has a certain amount of growth in him now. So it did help me a bit in the last few years when Ive been a leader of my side and done well for the team. It made me come back to the Indian side. So what else can you ask for? he said. Playing XIs Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (captain), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, and Tushar Deshpand Impact Substitutes: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravi Singh, Shubham Dubey, Brijesh Sharma Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (captain), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, and Tushar Deshpand Also Read: Live Cricket Score Impact Substitutes: R Smaran, Sakib Hussain, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mavi, Harshal Patel Article Source: IANS

13 Apr 2026 7:28 pm