Kolkata Knight Riders started their IPL 2026 campaign with a defeat against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. However, the three-time champions will feel they have a golden opportunity to bounce back when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their first home game of the season at the iconic Eden Gardens on Thursday.
Sunrisers Hyderabad did reasonably well with the bat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the tournament opener at Chinnaswamy, but their bowling unit let them down badly when RCB were chasing 202 with more than four overs to go.
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SRH’s bowling looked vulnerable and this presents a big opportunity for the KKR batsmen to cash in and cause the same kind of damage that RCB did in the opener.
Ishan Kishan to lead SRH for the first time in the IPLappeared to be under pressure and the visitors could face a tough test at the Eden Gardens where a roaring home crowd will be firmly behind the Knight Riders.
Both teams have endured disappointing starts to their campaigns, so this clash was an early chance for redemption. With Kolkata and Hyderabad still looking for their first win of the season, Thursday’s game could prove crucial in helping one side build early momentum and start climbing the points table.
CAN SUNRISERS IMPROVE THEIR BOWLING?
Sunrisers need to rethink their bowling tactics. Against RCB, they started Nitish Kumar Reddy, who did not bowl badly, but the bigger question is whether he is really their main wicket-taking option. Probably not. SRH have Eshan Malinga but he was introduced only after the powerplay which felt like a wasted opportunity.
Malinga is a true bowler as he can bowl yorkers consistently. This makes him a strong candidate to take at least one, if not two, turns in the power play before returning from the dead. SRH’s bowling continues to be their biggest problem this season. (Photo: PTI)
However, if Brydon Carse returns to the XI, SRH will face a selection dilemma between Malinga and David Payne. Payne made a strong impression against RCB, picking up two wickets and even bagging a hat-trick, which certainly strengthens his case.
But Carse offers higher all-around value. His inclusion would not only add pace and variety with the ball but also provide extra depth with the bat given his T20 strike rate is close to 140.
At the same time, it is high time for veteran batsmen Jaydev Unadkat and Harshal Patel to step up. SRH need their senior bowlers to take more responsibility, perform better under pressure and provide more control at key stages of the innings.
NEED SRH OPENERS CLICK
Sunrisers need their openers to fire. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma have been two of their key run-scorers in the past few seasons, but both failed against RCB. Once they were bowled out and SRH lost three wickets in the first five overs, posting a formidable total was always going to be a challenge.
It was Ishan Kishan who added some momentum to the innings, but with Kolkata expected to offer another excellent batting surface, Head and Abhishek will see this as a chance to get some quick runs under their belts. Will Travishek duo click for SRH on Thursday? (PTI photo)
The likes of Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Reddy will also be eager to make an impact and ensure that SRH continue to carry the aura of a batting unit capable of striking fear into any opposition.
WILL CAMERON GREEN RETURN TO BOWLING?
One of the highlights for Kolkata Knight Riders was Cameron Green’s bowling workload. One of the leading all-rounders in world cricket, Green was bought for Rs 25.20 crore in a mini-auction last December.
However, he did not bowl against Mumbai Indians and it is still unclear when he will be cleared to open the bowling for KKR.
After the match, Ajinkya Rahane said that the question of why Cameron Green is not bowling should be directed at Cricket Australia. Cricket Australia later clarified that KKR had been informed well in advance that Green would not be bowling for the first 10-12 days of the IPL due to a back injury.
“Cameron has a lower back injury which is being treated but requires him to be sidelined from bowling for a short period of time,” a CA spokesman said.
His availability as a bowler could significantly change the balance of KKR’s attack. If Green is able to bowl, KKR would have more flexibility with their XI and could bring in other batsmen like Manish Pandey or Rahul Tripathi to further strengthen the batting line-up.
KOLKATA: RANGE AND CONDITIONS
The Kolkata pitch has generally been good for batsmen in the IPL over the years, with an average first innings score of 170 in 100 IPL matches.
Recently, Finn Allen smashed a 33-ball century at the venue during the T20 World Cup, highlighting how brutal the surface can be for bowlers. Winning the toss and bowling first could be an ideal option, with teams likely to back off to chase any set target.
There is no threat of rain in Kolkata at the moment so a full game is expected. Temperatures are likely to hover around 27 degrees Celsius under clear skies. However, conditions will be extremely humid, with humidity levels expected to remain in the mid to high 70s.
KKR vs SRH: HEAD-TO-HEAD
Knight Riders have had the upper hand against Sunrisers Hyderabad over the years, winning 20 of their 30 meetings. At the Eden Gardens, KKR were even more dominant, claiming eight wins in 11 matches against SRH. However, in their last encounter, Sunrisers had the last laugh as they cruised to a massive 110-run victory in Delhi last year.
KKR vs SRH: TEAM NEWS
Brydon Carse missed the RCB clash but could return for SRH’s match against KKR. Sunrisers head coach Daniel Vettori said the team hopes Carse will be available for the match against the Knight Riders.
https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cricket/story/ipl-2026-brydon-carse-injury-rcb-vs-srh-daniel-vettori-update-press-conference-2888604-2026-03-29
KKR Predicted XI: Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (week), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Blessing Muzarabani.
Impact Sub: Tyagi card
SRH Predicted XI: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (c) (week), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Brydon Carse, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga
Impact Sub: Salil Arora
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
02 Apr 2026 11:58 IST
