HomeBlogUncategorizedIPL 2026, SRH vs KKR 45th Match Match Preview

IPL 2026, SRH vs KKR 45th Match Match Preview

by 3Point Auto

May 3, 2026

Uncategorized

Big Picture: Will KKR have answers for SRH’s bowlers?

Both Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) began their seasons with three defeats in their first four games but since then, their campaigns have veered in opposite directions. SRH have roared back into form with five successive wins and look like one of the most in-form sides in IPL 2026, while KKR are only just beginning to pick themselves up by registering their first two wins after a faltering start.

Rinku Singh has been a central figure in those wins, emerging as KKR’s most influential batter after a quiet start to the season. Against Rajasthan Royals, he struck a crucial half-century in their first win, and in the Super Over win against Lucknow Super Giants, he followed it up with an unbeaten 83 off 51 and chipped in with three catches. Those contributions have propelled him to the top of the run charts for KKR this season – with 215 runs in eight innings – a number that underlines the inconsistency of the rest of their batting unit.

Notably, Rinku, their designated finisher, has been arriving at the crease earlier than usual, in the sixth and seventh over in those two games. Yet, it is at the death where he has made the decisive impact. But KKR shouldn’t get too comfortable with that pattern.

Against SRH, that approach may not be enough. What was initially perceived as an inexperienced bowling attack has evolved into the most effective death-overs unit this season. SRH have the best economy rate (8.6) and strike rate (balls-per-wicket ratio of 9.6 balls) in the death overs so far. Bowlers such as Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge and Eshan Malinga have been particularly precise with their yorkers, and that’s given their unit the highest balls-hitting-wicket rate of all teams this season – 25% of SRH’s balls at the death hit the stumps.

That leaves KKR little room for a late rescue act and puts the spotlight on the batters around Rinku to cash in before the death overs if they are to challenge an SRH side that appears well-settled across departments. With playoff hopes still flickering, KKR will need more than just a lift.

Form Guide

Sunrisers Hyderabad WWWWW (last five matches, most recent first)
Kolkata Knight Riders WWLLL

Key Question

In the spotlight: Travis Head and KKR’s opening combination

SRH’s batting order has ticked along smoothly despite one half of their opening pair misfiring for much of the season. Travis Head, in particular, had managed just one score above 40 in his first eight outings and often struggled to get going but that changed against Mumbai Indians. He signalled his intent early by taking on Trent Boult for three sixes in the third over, and a standout moment was his audacious six and four off Jasprit Bumrah, which pretty much underlined his return to form. He eventually finished with 76 off 30 balls, and his form should worry KKR, given both SRH openers now appear to be in top form.

KKR, meanwhile, are yet to figure out their best opening combination this season eight games in. Tim Seifert has featured in three matches but has struggled for returns, including back-to-back ducks. KKR may be tempted to bring Finn Allen back into the XI, or if Matheesha Pathirana returns, they may reshuffe the order and consider pushing Sunil Narine up the order once more.

Team news: Will Pathirana play?

SRH are unlikely to make changes to their winning combination.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (probable): 1 Travis Head, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Ishan Kishan (wk), 4 Heinrich Klaasen, 5 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 6 Salil Arora, 7 Aniket Verma, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Harsh Dubey, 10 Eshan Malinga, 11 Praful Hinge, 12 Sakib Hussain

Matheesha Pathirana is fit and ready to go, but KKR did not play him against LSG. Ahead of Sunday’s match, KKR bowling coach Tim Southee said the side will “look at the conditons and make a decision for what works best for the side.”

Kolkata Knight Riders (probable):1 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 2 Tim Seifert (wk), 3 Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 4 Cameron Green, 5 Rovman Powell, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Sunil Narine, 8 Anukul Roy, 9 Ramandeep Singh, 10 Varun Chakravarthy, 11 Kartik Tyagi, 12 Vaibhav Arora

Pitch and conditions

The match will be played on the same pitch that hosted the SRH vs RR game on April 13. All three completed matches before this season on this wicket were won chasing, while in the match against RR, SRH defended 216, with fast bowlers Hinge and Sakib sharing eight wickets. It is expected to be a scorching afternoon in Hyderabad, with temperatures hitting a high of 39 degree Celcius.

Stats and trivia

Despite starting poorly, Vaibhav Arora has the joint-most wickets for KKR alongside Kartik Tyagi. Arora also has a favourable record against SRH’s top order: he has dismissed Head twice in four meetings, removed Abhishek once in six innings while keeping him to a strike rate of just 78, and has got the better of Ishan Kishan three times in five meetings.

Which Kishan will turn up for SRH on the day? He started the season with an 80 against RCB, and a few low scores later he made 91 off 44 balls against RR. He has three fifties so far but also has three single-digit scores, which include two golden ducks.

Malinga has been having an excellent campaign, relying on his yorkers as well as slower balls. Across nine innings, he has picked up 14 wickets at an economy rate of 9.2. His slower deliveries have proven difficult to score off, yielding four wickets at an economy rate of 7.7.

Quotes

“We know how dangerous this side’s been, particularly their top three, and then the likes of Klaasen and that through the middle. Just see it as a great opportunity for our bowlers. I think we bowled reasonably well to them in the first fixture against them. Anytime you come up against dangerous batters, it’s always a great challenge for bowlers. I’m sure here we know it’s a pretty good wicket. As a bowling group, they’re excited for a big opportunity tomorrow.”
KKR bowling coach Tim Southee on coming up against an in-form SRH

“Klaas [Klaasen], he did have quite a big gap in his cricketing programme prior to the IPL. I think he hadn’t played a game in quite a substantial amount of time. So sometimes that can work one of two ways and so he came into the tournament incredibly fresh. And the first few trainings, he felt really good with how his technique was feeling, how he was seeing the ball, the areas he was wanting to hit, different types of bowlers. It’s been quite amazing to watch how consistent he’s been in these first eight or nine games. And as I said, it’s a really tricky position to bat, but he’s been doing it amazingly well for us.”
SRH assistant coach James Franklin on Klaasen’s form

Sruthi Ravindranath is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

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