IPL 2026 | RR will have to be aggressive in Eliminator against SRH: Kumar Sangakkara

Mumbai: Rajasthan Royals sealed the final IPL playoff berth with a 30-run win over Mumbai Indians on Sunday, but head coach Kumar Sangakkara admitted his side would need a far more aggressive approach against the hard-hitting Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator clash at Mullanpur on May 27.

Rajasthan Royals booked the fourth and final berth in IPL playoffs with the victory against Mumbai Indians.

"Of course we would love to have the bulk of the runs done (by the top four) and not have to go through the nerves of it, but I thought that was an exceptional scrappy match," Sangakkara told the media here.

"They're a good side, aren't they? They bat well. They trust themselves to go hard and they've done it the whole tournament," he replied when asked about the Eliminator clash.

"We know what we're going to face. We have got to hold the line, really. Be disciplined and understand that they're not a side that you're going to limit to 120, 130. But we've got to be aggressive (with our) lines and lengths." "Even if you're trying to bowl a good length ball, or a slower ball, it has to be bowled with intent. With the Sunrisers, yeah, it's going to be a tough clash for us. Let's see in two days' time what we come up with," Sangakkara said.

The Royals' director of cricket said India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is nursing an injury and needs at least a two-day resting period to be fully fit.

"He has been nursing an injury and we've had to manage him quite sensitively. For him to go out and bat for long periods of time, it puts a lot of pressure on him, a lot of stress on him," Sangakkara said.

"So until he gets maybe another two days of rest, then we can use him even better (but) because he batted today, he was exceptional again." Heaping praise on under-fire Riyan Parag, Sangakkara said the franchise is ready to give him a long rope as a leader.

"I think I've seen very few players who have been criticised, like Riyan has been criticised for about seven years now. Ever since I came to the franchise, there's always people who like Riyan, but there are a lot of people who didn't really like him, especially on social media," Sangakkara said.

"Having watched him, yes, he will grow. He will mature. He will understand himself a lot more. He will learn to understand his players a lot more. But even today, if you look at the calls he makes as captain, the confidence with which he does, he drags himself almost on one foot sometimes to come and play. There's a huge amount of positives." "He has captained exceptionally well. He has led his team exceptionally well and when he's in that dressing room, he's got the respect of all the players and the staff. That's all you can ask for." Sangakkara said Rajasthan Royals will continue to back Riyan as a leader.

"What happens in the next few years, it's a really interesting relationship we have to build with the franchise and Riyan and really help him develop as a captain, as a batter, as a person, and keep supporting him." "He's a very, very good young man. Sometimes what you see on the outside is not Riyan Parag. Riyan Parag is a lovely, soft, gentle, really determined, smart young man." Sangakkara said Jofra Archer staying back for IPL and missing England's first Test against New Zealand was a collaborative decision.

"I think it was a collaborative decision between the ECB, Jofra and then talking about his bowling loads, especially the Test match," he said.

"It's very difficult to get your bowling loads up very soon when you're only bowling four overs a game. So he needs time to get that done and that was why the ECB was gracious enough to let him stay and understand that he'll be fine once he gets his bowling loads up, once he leaves the IPL," he added.