5 players to watch out for in the SRH vs RR IPL 2025 match

In the second of Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) season, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will be crossing the swords with the Rajasthan Royals in the first afternoon fixture set to be hosted at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on 23 March, 2025. Despite finishing as the runners-up and losing the finals against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the Sunrisers Hyderabad surely played an exciting and explosive brand of cricket right from the first ball of every match during IPL 2024. On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals also performed really well throughout the league stage last year but then lost the Qualifier 2 against SRH. In this article, we will take a look at the top five performers to watch out for in the upcoming Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals IPL 2025 match. 

Top five contenders to watch out for in the SRH vs RR IPL 2025 match

1. Abhishek Sharma

Left-handed explosive opening batsman Abhishek Sharma has become a household name especially after his exploits in the Indian T20I team recently and his performance for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024. The southpaw smashed a sensational tally of 484 runs from 16 matches at a remarkable strike-rate of more than 204 that included as many as three half-centuries. On the other hand, Abhishek has also solidified his spot in the Indian T20I setup with a total of 535 runs from 17 T20I games at an impressive strike-rate of 193.85 that includes a couple of hundreds and as many fifties. He will be hoping to take his game to another level and aim to win the Orange Cap in IPL 2025. 

2. Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal had a breakthrough season in IPL 2023 where he composed an exceptional total of 625 runs from 14 matches at an excellent strike-rate of close to 165 that included five half-centuries and one hundred. This staggering performance helped him earn his maiden call-up into the national team and fast forward to 2025, the southpaw has emerged as a consistent performer especially in the Indian Test team. He is coming into the IPL 2025 season after doing really well in the Border Gavaskar Trophy Down Under. However, it is also a fact that Jaiswal has not played much of white-ball cricket lately and he will experience a fresh challenge in the upcoming competition against some of the best bowlers in the world. 

3. Travis Head

Aussie opener Travis Head played a crucial role in Sunrisers Hyderabad qualifying for the finals in IPL 2024 and he has also been a consistent performer for his national team during the last few years across the three formats of the game. He finished as one of the top five leading run-getters in IPL 2024 with a superb tally of 567 runs from 15 games at a magnificent strike-rate of over 191 that consisted of four half-centuries. Alongwith Abhishek, Head will once again be eyeing to play that aggressive brand of cricket in IPL 2025 for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. 

4. Pat Cummins

Interestingly, Pat Cummins is the only overseas captain in the Indian Premier League 2025 season and under his leadership, Sunrisers Hyderabad played the final in 2024. He will once again play a crucial role as a captain for SRH in IPL 2025 especially because of his track record with the Australian team in the last few years. However, Cummins will also be hoping to improve his bowling numbers in the IPL, having picked up 63 wickets from 58 games at an economy of 8.75. He is capable of smacking some big hit lower down the order as well which will further provide the depth in the SRH batting line-up. 

5. Riyan Parag

Due to Sanju Samson still recovering from a finger injury, Riyan Parag will start as the Rajasthan Royals captain during their first three matches in IPL 2025. The right-hander notched up loads of runs in the previous IPL season, having scored a total of 573 runs from 15 games at a wonderful average of 52.09 that included as many as four half-centuries. This stunning season helped Riyan earn his maiden India call-up both in the T20I and ODI sides. He will be aiming to continue with a similar batting form alongside the captaincy duties in IPL 2025 as he will have to take the responsibility in the middle-order.