Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) square off against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in match No. 6 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Thursday, March 2.
Both teams are coming into this clash in search of their first points of the season. SRH featured in the curtain raiser at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, where they lost to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six wickets, failing to defend a 202-run target.
On the other hand, the Kolkata Knight Riders will want to bounce back strongly after their six-wicket defeat to the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. In their first match of the season, Ajinkya Rahane and Co. couldn't defend a 221-run target against the five-time champions.
Will KKR make changes in personnel after just one defeat, or back the ones they picked for the clash against Mumbai? Let's take a look at the segment below:
Here is KKR’s strongest predicted XI for their first game of the season:
Top order: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Finn Allen, Cameron Green
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Ajinkya Rahane played a stunning knock in the last game, scoring 67 off 40 balls. While he got off to a whirlwind start in the power play, he did slow down a bit midway through the innings. However, KKR fans would hope that their captain gets among the runs once again on Thursday.
Finn Allen has been in sublime form in recent months. He played a fine hand in the last game, amassing 37 off 17 balls. The Kiwi opener will hold the key at the top of the order because if he gets going, it will put the fairly inexperienced SRH bowling under immense pressure.
Cameron Green smashed a quickfire 18 off 10 balls in the last game. However, KKR fans would want him to have a longer stint at the crease. The Australian all-rounder will once again play this game as a specialist batter.
Middle order: Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh
Angkrish Raghuvanshi played a brilliant knock in the last game, smashing 51 off 29 balls. He will play an important role in the middle order. The 21-year-old also had an impressive outing with the wicketkeeping gloves in the last game.
Rinku Singh, on the other hand, scored an unbeaten 33 off 21 balls, which should give him some confidence after he failed to make much of an impact in the limited opportunities he got in the T20 World Cup.
Ramandeep Singh got to face only four balls in the last game. At No. 6, Ramandeep will have to have a notable season, especially with the legendary Andre Russell, who had been KKR's reliable finisher for ages, switching to a coaching role ahead of the season.
Lower order: Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine
Anukul Roy didn't get a chance with the bat and bowled 1.1 overs for 15 runs on a flat track at the Wankhede Stadium. However, he left fans in awe with his exemplary fielding skills. The Jharkhand all-rounder will want to carry his domestic form into the IPL.
Sunil Narine has been pushed down the batting order, with Finn Allen and Rahane taking charge inside the power play. The talismanic spinner, however, is the most experienced bowler in the KKR setup, and his four-over spell could prove to be the difference between the two sides.
Bowlers: Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Blessing Muzarabani
Varun Chakaravarthy has not been at his best since the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup. However, upon his return to Eden Gardens, the mystery spinner would be eager to work his magic. His battle with Heinrich Klaasen in the middle overs would be intriguing to watch.
From the first game, it seems that Vaibhav Arora has dropped a yard of pace, and he couldn't get the ball to swing at the Wankhede. However, he would fancy himself to move the ball around at Eden Gardens on Thursday.
Blessing Muzarabani had a difficult IPL debut, as he was found wanting, not just with the ball but also in the field. However, expect the Zimbabwean pacer to bounce back strongly as he is a gutsy cricketer. His spell with the new ball against Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma is going to be critical.
KKR's Predicted Playing XI
Ajinkya Rahane (C), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Blessing Muzarabani.
Impact Player: Kartik Tyagi
