The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will lock horns against each other in the 6th match of the ongoing Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026) on April 2 in Kolkata. This article covers the KKR vs SRH match preview, including the pitch report, weather forecast, head-to-head records, probable playing XIs, and live streaming details.
Both the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) teams have already played one game each in the ongoing IPL 2026. While SRH had a winning start to their season, beating Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2026 opener on March 28, KKR suffered a heavy defeat against the Mumbai Indians on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium.
Now, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad are eager to revive their rivalry in the ongoing 2026 season. This time, the SRH must be hungry to flip the story, as KKR has been the toughest rival for the franchise in the tournament’s history.
KKR vs SRH Match No.6 IPL 2026 Preview:
Match Details:
Match Date: The 6th IPL 2026 match will be played on Thursday, April 2, 2026.
Venue: The match will take place at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Time: The match is scheduled to start at 7:30 PM IST.
KKR vs SRH Squads:
Kolkata Knight Riders –
Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Rahul Tripathi, Finn Allen, Tejashwi Singh, Tim Seifert, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Ramandeep Singh, Cameron Green, Sarthak Ranjan, Daksh Kamra, Rachin Ravindra, Navdeep Saini, Vaibhav Aroora, Umran Malik, Matheesha Pathirana, Kartik Tyagi, Akash Deep, Varun Chakravarthy, Prashant Solanki.
Sunrisers Hyderabad –
Ishan Kishan, Aniket Verma, Smaran Ravichandran, Salil Arora, Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head, Harshal Patel, Kamindu Mendis, Harsh Dubey, Brydon Carse, Shivang Kumar, Krains Fuletra, Liam Livingstone, Jack Edwards, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (C), Zeeshan Ansari, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Onkar Tarmale, Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Shivam Mavi
KKR vs SRH Probable XIs:
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Blessing Muzarabani. Impact Player: Kartik Tyagi
Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w/c), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga. Impact Player: David Payne
KKR vs SRH 6th IPL 2026 Match Key Battles:
Sunil Narine vs Travis Head
The clash between Sunil Narine and Travis Head will be one of the most exciting Powerplay battles of the season. Both are known for their attacking style at the start, but they bring completely different weapons to their respective teams.
Narine usually opens the bowling with his clever spin and unpredictable variations, while Head leads SRH’s aggressive Powerplay approach and always loves to attack from the first ball. This battle will be interesting to watch out for because Head is extremely strong against pace, but he has trouble against high-quality spin.
In the 2024 season, he averaged 64.7 against pacers but only 29.0 against spinners. Overall, Head has scored just 17 runs from 16 balls against Narine and has been dismissed once in T20s. Narine’s carrom balls and variations make him the ideal man to trouble Head.
Varun Chakravarthy vs Heinrich Klaasen
The battle between Varun Chakravarthy and Heinrich Klaasen will be a key in the middle overs. Klaasen is SRH’s main finisher and one of the most dangerous hitters of spin, but Chakaravarthy is also KKR’s biggest weapon to stop him.
Chakravarthy uses his mystery spin and clever googlies to confuse batters like Klaasen. He is not afraid to give a few runs if it means taking a big wicket. This fight can decide whether SRH pushes towards a massive 220.
In their past meetings, Klaasen has scored 35 runs off 20 balls against Chakravarthy and the spinner also been dismissed once.
Blessing Muzarabani vs Ishan Kishan
Blessing Muzarabani will be KKR’s new surprise weapon, and his impact against SRH will decide the outcome. Ishan Kishan enjoys playing against the fast bowlers but often struggles when the ball rises sharply from a tall bowler. The 6’8″ Muzarabani can create that extra bounce even from a good length.
If the Zimbabwe star can push the ball into Kishan’s body and give him no room to swing freely, KKR can control the in-form Ishan. Stopping Kishan early is important as he is one of SRH’s main attackers, and once he settles, he can take the game away from KKR.
Harshal Patel vs Rinku Singh
The fight between Harshal Patel and Rinku Singh is a classic death-overs battle. Harshal is known for his tricky slower balls, while Rinku is KKR’s biggest finisher and biggest match-winner in the IPL.
Harshal has never dismissed Rinku in the IPL, which means Harshal must try something new, because the usual slower balls won’t trouble the KKR vice-captain. In the death overs, Rinku can make any loose ball from Harshal pay a heavy price if he fails to surprise him.
KKR vs SRH Match No.6 Key Players:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Liam Livingstone, Jaydev Unadkat
Kolkata Knight Riders: Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Blessing Muzarabani, Varun Chakravarthy
Free Live Streaming in India, Live Telecast
TV Rights in India: The KKR vs SRH match will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network on TV in India.
Live Streaming Platform in India: Fans can watch the match on the JioHotstar app and website on mobiles, laptops, and other streaming devices.
When will the match take place?
The sixth IPL 2026 match is set to be played on Thursday, April 2, 2026.
Where will the match be played?
This match will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
KKR vs SRH Match No.6 IPL 2026, Weather Report, Pitch Report of Eden Gardens, Kolkata
KKR vs SRH: Weather Report in Kolkata
The weather will be good for the IPL 2026 clash between KKR and SRH on April 2. The evening is expected to be clear and warm with almost no chance of rain, so a full match is on the card. The temperature is expected to stay around 28–30°C in the evening and drop to 25–26°C later in the night.
However, the humidity will be quite high, which means heavy dew may form during the second innings. This could make the ball wet and slippery, which may trouble the bowlers and give batters an advantage. Overall, fans can expect warm, dry, and action-packed conditions under the lights.
KKR vs SRH: Pitch Report of Eden Gardens
Eden Gardens is expected to offer a balanced and exciting pitch for KKR’s first home game. The surface will help fast bowlers early in the match with good bounce and movement. As the game progresses, the pitch slows down and starts helping spinners, especially in the second innings when the ball grips and turns more.
Despite the conditions becoming tougher later, the batters can still make runs. Fast bowlers have taken around 60.08% of the wickets at Eden Gardens, while spinners have taken 39.92% of the wickets. Dew in the evening can make things tough for the bowler, and that’s why teams often prefer to chase after winning the toss in Kolkata.
At this venue, the average first-innings score is 159, while the second-innings average drops to 140. In the recent matches, teams batting first have won 9 games (45%), while chasing teams have won 11 matches (55%), which means bowling first would be a mindful call.
KKR vs SRH Head-to-Head Records: Key Statistics
The Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad has been a one-sided rivalry in the IPL. Out of their 30 IPL matches played between them so far, the KKR has completely dominated the SRH, winning 20 games, while the rest of the 10 games were won by the Hyderabad team.
KKR vs SRH Head-to-Head Records: Last Five Matches
The Knight Riders have dominated the Hyderabad side in their last five meetings in the tournament. KKR has won four out of the last five games, while the SRH managed only a single victory.
KKR vs SRH Head-to-Head Records- Result of the last five games:
- SRH won by 110 runs in Delhi on May 25, 2025
- KKR won by 80 runs in Kolkata on April 3, 2025
- KKR won by 8 wickets in Ahmedabad on May 21, 2024
- KKR won by 8 wickets in Chennai on May 26, 2024
- KKR won by 4 runs in Kolkata on March 23, 2024
KKR vs SRH – Conclusion:
This IPL 2026 clash will be a true tactical battle between the three-time champions and the well-balanced Hyderabad franchise. KKR will rely on their spin attack to control the game, while SRH will look to their power hitters to break through the pressure.
With both teams stacked with match-winners, this clash at the iconic Eden Gardens promises big moments and high drama, and the SRH must be hungry to change their story against KKR. Last season, Hyderabad failed to make it to the playoffs, but they now have a strong group to turn the tables.