The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season continues its high-octane start as the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Match 6 at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
For the Knight Riders, this season is about reclaiming dominance. Under the leadership of Ajinkya Rahane , the squad has completely revamped its core to bounce back strongly and secure their fourth silverware. Standing in their way is a perennial powerhouse, the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Led by Ishan Kishan, the Sunrisers are looking to blast their way to the top of the table with their trademark ultra-aggressive batting style. With world-class talent on both sides, this Thursday night clash promises to be a tactical chess match. Entering this fixture,
KKR is looking to bounce back after a loss in their season opener (Match 2) against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. Similarly, SRH is seeking their first points of the season following a defeat in their opening game, as they aim to recalibrate their aggressive "pace-heavy" strategy under Ishan Kishan.
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Team and Injury News
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
The Knight Riders enter the tournament with a lot of injuries. The focus will be on their newly revamped core featuring explosive talents like Finn Allen and the versatile Cameron Green. Ajinkya Rahane is fully fit and ready to lead , while the spin duo of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy remains the spearhead of the attack.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
The Sunrisers have retained their explosive top order, heavily reliant on the electric starts provided by Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head. Pat Cummins' absence this season so far is an issue as he continues to be sidelined. There are currently no major injury concerns reported in the SRH camp, allowing them to field their strongest XI.
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Full Squads
Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rinku Singh (vc), Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Cameron Green, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Blessing Muzarabani, Matheesha Pathirana, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Rahul Tripathi, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Umran Malik, Navdeep Saini, Saurabh Dubey, Anukul Roy, Sarthak Ranjan, Tejasvi Dahiya, Daksh Kamra, Prashant Solanki.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Ishan Kishan (c) (wk), Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, David Payne, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, Shivang Kumar, Liam Livingstone,Smaran Ravichandran, Sakib Hussain, Shivam Mavi, Zeeshan Ansari, Kamindu Mendis, Brydon Carse, Praful Hinge, Krains Fuletra, Onkar Tarmale, Amit Kumar
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Key Match-ups & Battles
Varun Chakravarthy vs. Abhishek Sharma: A classic battle of mystery spin versus explosive timing. Chakravarthy will look to exploit any early turn to dismiss the dangerous southpaw before he can set a massive foundation for SRH in the powerplay.
David Payne vs. Finn Allen: David Payne's medium pace and tactical lengths against Allen's fearless hitting at the top of the order will be a treat for the fans.
Sunil Narine vs. Heinrich Klaasen: Narine remains the ultimate "X-factor" for KKR in the middle overs. His duel against Klaasen, one of the best players of spin in the world, will likely dictate the momentum of the SRH innings.
