The iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata is all in readiness to host its first match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Match 6 on Thursday, April 02.
KKR will be playing their first home game of the season, and they will want to break the shackles to gain their maiden points on the board as well. The Ajinkya Rahane-led side is coming on the back of a disappointing loss to the Mumbai Indians and will be hoping for a better performance, especially with the ball, against the Hyderabad-based franchise.
SRH, on the other hand, got their campaign off to a losing start as well, tasting defeat at the hands of the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the tournament opener. A lot depends on their batting unit, but a weaker bowling line-up is also a matter of concern for the Ishan Kishan-led side. It will be interesting to see the combination they enter with for their second game on the road.
KKR vs SRH: Match Details
| Match | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Match 6, IPL 2026 |
| Date and Time (IST) | Thursday, April 2, 7:30 PM |
| Venue | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| Broadcast and Live-Streaming | JioStar Network Channels and JioHotstar (App & Website) |
Eden Gardens, Kolkata: Pitch Report
The pitch at the Eden Gardens has changed its nature over the years. Once known as a track that assisted bowlers more than the batters, the surface here has gradually been doctored to suit the modern era of 20-over cricket, where boundaries flow more often. A similar, batting-friendly track is expected to be dished out on Thursday as well, offering a fest of fours and sixes for the fans.
KKR vs SRH Head-to-Head Record
| Matches Played | 30 |
| Won by Kolkata Knight Riders | 19 |
| Won by Sunrisers Hyderabad | 10 |
| Tied | 01 |
| No Result | 00 |
| First-ever Fixture | April 14, 2013 |
| Most-recent Fixture | May 25, 2025 |
KKR vs SRH: Predicted Playing 11s
Kolkata Knight Riders
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
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (C & WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga
Impact Player: David Payne
KKR vs SRH: Probable Best Performers of the Match
Probable Best Batter: Abhishek Sharma
Abhishek Sharma is known to be a fierce hitter of the cricket ball but has been going through a poor run of form in the recent past. However, it will take one good knock for India's best T20 batter currently to get into the rhythm and find boundaries for fun. The Punjab-born is expected to form a crucial opening stand with Travis Head, and it will be interesting to see if Abhishek makes any change in his approach.
Probable Best Bowler: Varun Chakravarthy
Varun Chakravarthy has found the majority of his success in the Indian Premier League with his mystery spin, which troubles a lot of opposition batters. With the larger boundary dimensions and helpful conditions, Chakravarthy is expected to be one of the best players with the ball in his hands at the Eden Gardens on Thursday.
