IPL 2026 | Match 45: SRH vs KKR | Preview and Predictions

Two teams in very different situations go up against each other in the first game of the double-header Saturday as Sunrisers Hyderabad host the struggling Kolkata Knight Riders. Kolkata Knight Riders have finally found some form and points as they come into this game on the back of consecutive wins while Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to keep their winning streak going and cement their place in the Playoffs places in the table.

Here is the preview and prediction for match 45 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 between the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and theKolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Indian Premier League 2026 | Match 45: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders | 15:30 IST, May 3rd

After four losses on the trot, KKR have finally found some form and momentum as they come into this game on the back of consecutive wins against Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants, respectively. KKR though, still have a lot of questions left to be answered. The batting continues to be a big problem for KKR with not a single batter barring Rinku Singh showing any form or consistency. KKR have tried Sunil Narine, Finn Allen, Tim Seifert and Ajinkya Rahane at the top but not a single one of the opening pairs have clicked. Their captain, Rahane, looks woefully out of form as does Tim Seifert, who has been given the long rope for the last couple of games. Angkrish Raghuvanshi has gotten a couple of scores but the youngster hasn’t shown any consistency or capitalised on his starts. Cameron Green is another with starts but has thrown his wicket away a couple of times and Green will need to take up responsibility as will Rovman Powell, who has struggled to get going. Rinku Singh remains the only one who is amongst the runs and has bailed out his team the last two games and remains to be key in the lower order.

On the bowling front, there has been marked improvement from KKR as the spin trio of Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy and the ever-reliable Sunil Narine continues to deliver but Vaibhav Arora and Kartik Tyagi both had an expensive game in Lucknow and have tendencies to lose their way when under pressure. KKR have Matheesha Pathirana with them finally and if the Sri Lanka pacer is match fit, he could be seen in action and will be a much needed addition to a rather inexperienced and slim pace attack. 

Sunrisers Hyderabad meanwhile come into this game on the back of a record chase for the SRH squad against Mumbai Indians and with their batters in form, the home team will be high on confidence. The devastating opening duo of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head look like they have flipped the switch to turn on their brutal best while Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy and the impressive youngster Salil Arora, provide not only depth but firepower as well down the order. Klaasen seems to be in the form of his life and has good support around him and SRH will hope the top four of Sharma, Head, Klaasen and Ishan Kishan continue to fire. 

With the ball, SRH have stepped up ever since their captain Pat Cummins has joined the team with the Australian quick’s presence clearly showing in the bowling performance. Eshan Malinga and Praful Hinge have been crucial in the middle overs while the likes of Nitish Kumar Reddy, Sakib Hussain and Harsh Dubey provide a strong support act. 

The Hyderabad strip has been one of the highest scoring grounds this season with plenty of runs on offer on a belter of a pitch which should suit the big hitters. Given their form, squad depth and the home advantage, Sunrisers Hyderabad start as the clear favourites in this encounter which should be a high-scoring game.

Fantasy XI: Abhishek Sharma ©, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wk), Cameron Green, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine ©, Pat Cummins, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakravarthy

Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad

Winners Prediction: Sunrisers Hyderabad