IPL 2026, Match 45: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders Match Preview

Published - 02 May 2026, 11:51 IST | Updated - 02 May 2026, 11:52 IST

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in match No. 45 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday, May 3.

The Orange Army had a slow start to the season, as they lost three out of their first four matches. However, they made wholesale changes to the bowling department and got themselves on track. The Pat Cummins-led side is on a five-match winning streak. A win on Sunday would take them to the top of the table.

Meanwhile, the Kolkata Knight Riders are on a resurgence of their own. The three-time champions lost five out of their first six games but have registered back-to-back wins since then. In their most recent fixture, they defeated the Lucknow Super Giants in the Super Over. They are expected to get a major boost as Matheesha Pathirana is very likely to make his KKR debut on Sunday. He will have a crucial role to play against a destructive SRH batting lineup.

The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad has hosted four matches so far in IPL 2026. The average first-innings total has been 202. Three out of these games have been won by teams batting first. The team that bats first will have to aim for a score above 200 as the pitch remains excellent for batting throughout the 40 overs.

Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (WK), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora (WK), Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (C), Harsh Dubey, Praful Hinge, Eshan Malinga.

Ajinkya Rahane (C), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (WK), Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy