Riyan Parag and Ravindra Jadeja Set to Play IPL 2026 Eliminator Against SRH
Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Dasun Shanaka has said that RR captain Riyan Parag and experienced all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will play in the IPL 2026 Eliminator on Wednesday despite carrying injuries. Both players have missed several matches this season because of fitness issues.
Jadeja’s injury also kept him out of India’s squad for the upcoming Test and ODI series against Afghanistan national cricket team. After finishing fourth on the IPL 2026 points table, the Rajasthan Royals will face the third-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator on Wednesday.
The match will be held at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. The loser of this clash will have to say goodbye to their IPL 2026 title hopes, while the winner will live to see another day. The winner of the Eliminator will face the Gujarat Titans at the same stadium two days later in Qualifier 2.
Riyan Parag and Ravindra Jadeja likely to play Eliminator despite injury concerns
The winner of Qualifier 2 will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2026 final at Narendra Modi Stadium on May 31. Riyan Parag-led Rajasthan Royals finished fourth in the points table with 16 points from 14 matches, while Sunrisers Hyderabad ended with 18 points. RR started the season strongly by winning their first four matches, but then lost 6 of their next 8 games. However, they managed to qualify for the playoffs after winning their final two league matches. Dasun Shanaka spoke at the press conference on the eve of the match and provided an important update about Riyan Parag and Ravindra Jadeja.
“They had some niggles, but they will be fine, hopefully they will be fine," he said.
During the same interview, Dasun Shanaka praised Riyan Parag for his leadership and captaincy skills. Shanaka, who has also captained the Sri Lanka national cricket team, spoke highly of the young RR skipper.
"Riyan is a young captain. He is learning as well. He has done a wonderful job as a captain this year. Many people criticise him, but I feel he is a great leader in the making, both for RR and Team India,” Shanaka said.