Aniket Verma, Varun Chakravarthy and Ishan Kishan Kolkata Knight Riders will be looking forward to their spinners rediscovering form against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday in a clash between two batting sides.The match begins a crucial home stretch for KKR with three matches in seven days before a long break for the polls. With four away games to follow, building momentum at the Eden Gardens, where they have won 54 of their 95 games, is vital.
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IPL 2026: Ajinkya Rahane backs KKR’s young attack after loss KKR’s campaign has been hampered by a weakened bowling unit. Injuries to Harshit Rana and Akash Deep, Matheesha Pathirana’s absence and Cameron Green’s limited role have reduced their depth. However, spin is the bigger concern, with Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy in the opener.SRH are in a similar spot after losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Despite a strong top order, their bowling looks vulnerable without Pat Cummins, putting further pressure on both departments to deliver.
Five players to watch in KKR vs SRH
Abhishek Sharma (SRH)The world number one batsman has been having a torrid time since the start of the T20 World Cup 2026 and it continues in the IPL 2026 as well. Despite a winning campaign for India, Abhishek was heavily scrutinized for his dismal performance, even though he scored 52 in the final. SRH posted 201 but RCB chased it down in just 15.4 overs. The explosive batsman will look to turn his fortunes around against KKR in Eden. The 25-year-old is now in his eighth season with SRH and the team will be hoping for another 400 season from their star batsman after he achieved a similar feat in the last two seasons.Varun Chakraborty (KKR)India’s X-factor in the T20I bowling setup Varun Chakravarthy also had a sub-par T20 World Cup despite finishing as the joint-highest wicket-taker with teammate Jasprit Bumrah. Most of his goals have come in the early stages of the tournament, while his performances in must-win games have not been up to par. He is now under the scanner again in IPL 2026 as the KKR lead spinner returned dismal figures of 0 for 48 in the high-scoring opener against MI at the Wankhede. Varun has had three consecutive good seasons for KKR and the team will look to him again for crucial breakthroughs in their first home game.Ishan Kishan (SRH)Ishan Kishan has been the talk of the town for the past few months. Ishan, one of the stars of India’s triumphant T20 World Cup campaign, now leads SRH in the absence of regular skipper Pat Cummins. He continued his rich form from the World Cup and started IPL 2026 with 80 off 38 balls against RCB. Even though his team was beaten comprehensively, Ishan remains a force to be reckoned with. He will be looking for another big strike at the high-scoring Eden ground against KKR.Aniket Verma (SRH)Young middle order batsman Aniket Verma showed his mettle in SRH’s season opener against RCB. The 24-year-old smashed four sixes and three fours in his late onslaught of 18-ball 43 to take SRH to a competitive 201/9. Although the total proved insufficient, Aniket’s power play caught the eye. After a decent debut season last year, the youngster will aim for another strong campaign.Angkrish Raghuvanshi (KKR)The young keeper-batsman was in his element in KKR’s innings as he smashed 51 off 29 balls against MI. KKR posted 220/4 at the Wankhede but it was easy. The 21-year-old will be looking for another good outing this time at home. In his third season with KKR, Raghuvanshi will look to have a breakout year.
