IPL 2026: Sunrisers win big but RCB and Gujarat seal top-two spots

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) won, and yet it didn’t feel like a win. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lost, but it didn’t feel like that either. In a nutshell, that’s how Friday night went in Hyderabad as RCB secured a top-two finish – they finished No. 1 – despite a 55-run defeat, while SRH remained third.

On the back of half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan, SRH posted a monster total of 255, but had to restrict RCB to 166 or below for a chance to move into the top two. Rajat Patidar’s 56, Venkatesh Iyer’s 44 and Krunal Pandya’s unbeaten 41 ensured there were no blushes for RCB even as they finished the league stage with a defeat.

That left the top three teams all on 18 points, with Gujarat Titans sandwiched between the two teams at No. 1 and No. 3. Eventually, it came down to net run-rate to decide which team would go to Qualifier 1, and which team would play the Eliminator. (ESPNcricinfo)