π π«ππ ππ«πππ’πππ’π¨π§π¬ π¨π§ πππ₯ππ π«ππ¦ ππ
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Kolkata Knight Riders
Sunrisers Hyderabad will take on Kolkata Knight Riders in the 45th match of IPL 2026 in Hyderabad. SRH will enter this game in strong form. They sit 3rd on the table with 6 wins from 9 matches and a net run rate of 0.832.
They come into this match on a 5-match winning streak. In their last two games, they have chased targets above 200+, showing strong batting depth and control in pressure situations.
Kolkata Knight Riders have had a mixed season so far. They are placed 10th with 2 wins in 7 matches and a net run rate of -0.751. However, they have back-to-back wins against LSG and RR. Head-to-head numbers slightly favour KKR with 3 wins in the last 5 meetings. The last three games between these teams have been won by the side defending the total.
SRHβs opening pair has delivered consistent and aggressive powerplay starts, while KKRβs unstable opening combinations have struggled to build partnerships.
The betting tip is...
Highest Opening Partnership - SRH
69 %
31 %
Sunrisers HyderabadKolkata Knight RidersSRHβs batting unit has delivered consistently this season. Abhishek Sharma scored 425 runs in 9 matches at a strike rate of 209.35, with a century and 3 fifties. Heinrich Klaasen follows with 414 runs at a strike rate of 157.41, with 4 fifties. Both players lead the Orange Cap race.
Travis Head added 262 runs in 9 matches at a strike rate of 163.75. Ishan Kishan has 312 runs at a strike rate of 197.46 with 3 fifties. Reddy has 193 runs at a strike rate of 160.83. Salil Arora provides finishing, including a quick 30 not out against MI.
Eshan Malinga leads the bowling unit with 15 wickets and tops the Purple Cap race. Harsh Dubey has 8 wickets in 7 matches. Sakib Hussain has 8 wickets in 5 games, while Praful Hinge has 7 wickets in 4 matches. Reddy contributed with 6 wickets. Pat Cummins returned and played the last two matches. The bowling unit included Unadkat, Shivang and Coetzee on the bench.
Abhishek, Klaasen and Malinga are the key players.
Predicted Lineup: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (c), Sakib Hussain, Shivang Kumar, Praful Hinge, Eshan Malinga.
KKR won their last two matches, including a Super Over win against LSG. Ajinkya Rahane opened alongside Tim Seifert in the last game, but the opening combinations have been unstable. Sunil Narine was also tested at the top, while Finn Allen has been dropped.
Rinku Singh leads with 215 runs in 7 innings at a strike rate of 141.44, including two fifties. Angkrish Raghuvanshi has 207 runs in 8 innings at a strike rate of 141.21, also registering two fifties but stringing together low scores. Cameron Green has 196 runs, while the captain, Rahane, scored 162 runs with one fifty. These numbers reflect a poor batting lineup.
Vaibhav Arora and Kartik Tyagi have 9 wickets each, but both conceded runs at a higher rate. Varun Chakaravarthy has 7 wickets in 6 matches at an economy rate above 8. Sunil Narine also has 7 wickets in 7 matches and remains the most economical bowler with an economy of 6.66.
Rinku, Raghuvanshi and Tyagi are the key players.
Predicted Lineup: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Tim Seifert, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kartik Tyagi
SRH will start as clear favourites in this match. Their batting unit has delivered consistently, with Abhishek and Klaasen leading the run charts. The top order has shown strong intent in the powerplay and will put early pressure on KKRβs bowling attack, which has conceded at a higher rate.
KKRβs batting has been inconsistent, especially at the top. Their opening combinations have not produced stable starts this season. SRHβs strong start with the bat and better overall balance will give them the edge in this match.
