IPL 2026 Preview: KKR vs SRH match predicted playing XI, pitch report, weather forecast and match prediction

IPL 2026 Preview: KKR vs SRH match predicted playing XI, pitch report, weather forecast and match prediction- Ajinkya Rahane’s Kolkata Knight Riders and Ishan Kishan’s Sunrisers Hyderabad - both smarting from their opening fixtures losses - will aim to regroup as quickly as possible in the 2nd game of the season, with KKR hosting SRH at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Thursday.

Grappling with injuries, both the teams came up short against Mumbai Indians and Royal Challenges Bengaluru, respectively. For KKR, this match marks the start of a vital home phase. With three fixtures scheduled within a week and another on April 19 before a lengthy break due to state elections, the three-time champions will be keen to capitalise on familiar conditions. Historically dominant at Eden Gardens, KKR have won 54 of their 95 matches at the venue, but their current campaign has begun on shaky ground.

More concerning, however, has been the performance of their spin duo, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. Chakravarthy leaked runs without much success, while Narine was underutilised, raising questions about KKR’s ability to control the middle overs.SRH encounters similar problems following their loss in the opening match. Although they have a strong top order with Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Travis Head, their bowling unit found it difficult to defend a score over 200.

Pat Cummins's absence due to fitness issues has further weakened their lineup. After several bowlers underperformed in the opener, SRH must rely on both their key batsmen and bowlers to excel in what is expected to be a high-scoring match.VENUE: Eden Gardens, KolkataTIME: 7: 30 PM IST

KKR vs SRH Squads

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Umran Malik, Varun Chakaravarthy, Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Matheesha Pathirana, Kartik Tyagi, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Tejasvi Dahiya, Sarthak Ranjan, Rachin Ravindra, Akash Deep, Prashant Solanki, Daksh KamraSunrisers Hyderabad: Ishan Kishan (c & wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Aniket Verma, Smaran Ravichandran, Salil Arora, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins, Liam Livingstone, Kamindu Mendis, Krains Fuletra, Brydon Carse, Praful Hinge, Sakib Hussain, Onkar Tarmale, Jaydev Unadkat, Shivam Mavi, Harshal Patel, Eshan Malinga, David Payne, Harsh Dubey, Amit Kumar, Zeeshan Ansari

KKR vs SRH Predicted Playing XI

Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted XI: Finn Allen (wk), Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Blessing Muzarabani.Sunrisers Hyderabad Predicted XI: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (C & WK), Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Aniket Verma, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga.

KKR vs SRH Head-to-Head

KKR vs SRH Last Five Matches:

KKR vs SRH Pitch Report

Eden Gardens in the IPL has been a batting paradise and the runs would be free flowing at the venue. One of the quickest outfields in the country, the pitch generally offers some assistance to the pacers early on, but even the slightest error will be punished by the pacers.

Chasing under lights is always the preferred option here, so the team winning the toss is likely to bowl first.

KKR vs SRH Match Weather Forecast

The temperature will over around 31°C in the evening with conditions likely to be humid with clear skies. No forecast of rain in the evening and throughout the night.

KKR vs SRH Match Prediction

KKR managed to post a massive 220 in their first game, but failed to defend, while on the other hand, SRH batters left nearly 20-30 runs in their game against RCB. Looking at the conditions, and the batting prowess, SRH will have the advantage over KKR with their more explosive batting unit, while KKR will hope their spin twins of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy fire in tandem to stop the SRH batters.