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.

In Match 45 of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, we have SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) hosting the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who have finally found some form and points and come into this game on the back of consecutive wins.

For the game, here we present our preview and predictions.

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

After four losses on the trot, the otherwise struggling KKR have finally found some form and momentum and come into this game on the back of consecutive wins against the Rajasthan Royals and the Lucknow Super Giants. That said, they still have a lot of questions left to answer.

Batting continues to be a big problem for KKR, with not a single batter, barring Rinku Singh, showing any form or consistency. They have tried Sunil Narine, Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, and Ajinkya Rahane at the top, but not a single one of the opening pairs has clicked. Captain Rahane looks woefully out of form, as does Seifert, who has been given the long rope for the last couple of games.

Angkrish Raghuvanshi has got a couple of scores, but the youngster hasn’t shown any consistency. Cameron Green is another with decent starts, but he has thrown his wicket away a couple of times and will need to take up responsibility, as will Rovman Powell, who has struggled to get going. Rinku Singh remains the only one consistently among the runs and has bailed out his team in the last two games with key contributions lower down the order.

On the bowling front, there has been marked improvement from KKR. The spin trio of Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy, and the ever-reliable Sunil Narine continues to deliver, though pacers Vaibhav Arora and Kartik Tyagi both had an expensive game in Lucknow and tend to lose their way under pressure. Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana has joined the squad finally and, if deemed match-fit, could be seen in action. He will be a much-needed addition to KKR’s rather inexperienced and slim pace attack. 

The SunRisers, meanwhile, come into this game on the back of a record chase against the Mumbai Indians. With their batters in form, the home team will be high on confidence.

SRH’s devastating openers 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. 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 joined the squad, with the veteran Australian pacer’s presence clearly showing in the team’s bowling performances. Eshan Malinga and Praful Hinge have been crucial in the middle overs, while the likes of Nitish Kumar Reddy, Sakib Hussain, and Harsh Dubey have been providing strong support.

The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium has been one of the highest-scoring grounds this season, with plenty of runs on offer on a belter of a pitch suiting the big-hitters.

Given their form, squad depth, and home advantage, SunRisers Hyderabad start as our clear favourites in this encounter, which should be a high-scoring game.

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

Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
Winners Prediction: SunRisers Hyderabad