Kolkata Knight Riders will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in a high-stakes clash in IPL 2026 on Thursday and will be desperate for their spin combination to rediscover their strengths as both sides look to bounce back from their opening defeat.The match kicks off a crucial home phase for KKR, who will play three games in seven days before taking a long break due to the upcoming Assembly elections. With four away games ahead and the next home game on May 16, building momentum at Eden Gardens – the bastion of historic 54 wins in 95 games – will be crucial.Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!However, KKR’s campaign has been marred by bowling woes. Injuries to Harshit Rana and Akash Deep, coupled with the absence of Matheesha Pathirana and the limited role of Cameron Green, have weakened their attack. This lack of depth was exposed in their opener when they failed to defend 220 against Mumbai.The bigger concern remains the form of spinners Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, both of whom are struggling to make an impact. On a surface that is expected to help seamers and spinners, their revival could be key.KKR may also consider bringing in Rovman Powell to add firepower, especially if Green is unable to bowl due to workload management.For sexual and reproductive health, the issues are similar. Despite a strong batting line-up that includes Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Travis Head, their bowling looks fragile as skipper Pat Cummins is not yet fully fit. Their failure to defend 201 in the opener exposed their lack of control.Both teams have strong batting but are struggling to maintain balance and will rely heavily on their bowlers to step up as they chase their first win of the season.
KKR vs SRH go head to head
- Total games played: 30
- Kolkata Knight Riders: 20
- Sunrisers Hyderabad: 10
KKR vs. SRH: Pitch Report
The match is likely to be played at the same venue as the New Zealand-South Africa T20 World Cup semi-final. As SRH head coach Daniel Vettori said, the pitch, which is traditionally known for high scores, looked a bit grassy this time around. He expects it to provide more “hold” rather than sharp turns, suggesting help for hitters and catchers rather than outright spin advantage.
KKR vs SRH: Predicted line-up
Kolkata Knight Riders predicted XI: Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane (centre), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Blessing Muzarabani.Impact Sub: Kartik TyagiSunrisers Hyderabad Prediction XI: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (mid-week), Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Aniket Verma, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Liam Livingstone, David Payne, Harshal PatelImpact Subs: Eshan Malinga/Jaydev Unadkat
KKR vs. SRH: Kolkata weather updates
It is expected to be sunny and hot during the day, with temperatures rising to around 37°C. As night fell, the weather was mostly clear but still humid, with temperatures dropping to around 25°C.During the game, it almost never rains. As the night progresses, temperatures drop slightly, gradually dipping from around 30°C at the start to nearly 27°C later, ensuring warm but playable conditions throughout.
KKR vs SRH: Live broadcast details
The KKR vs SRH match will be played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata and is scheduled to start at 7:30 pm IST. The match will be telecast on Star Sports Network and the live broadcast will be on JioHotstar.
KKR vs SRH team
Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rinku Singh (vc), Finn Allen, Tejasvi Dahiya, Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Sarthak Ranjan, Tim Seifert, Rahul Tripathi, Daksh Kamra, Cameron Green, Sunil Narine, Rachin Ravindra, Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Saurabh Dubey, Kartik Tyagi, Blessing Muzarabani, Navdeep Saini, Prashant Solanki and Umran Malik.Sunrise Hotel Hyderabad: Ishan Kishan (c), Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aniket Verma, R. Smaran, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Kamindu Mendis, Harshal Patel, Brydon Carse, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, Zeeshan Ansari, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mavi, Salil Arora, Shivang Kumar, Omkar Tarmale, Krains Fuletra, Praful Hinge, Amit Kumar, Sakib Hussain, Jack Edwards and Pat Cummins.
