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Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Betting Preview, Odds & Predictions
As Kolkata Knight Riders face Sunrisers Hyderabad at Eden Gardens for their IPL 2026 clash, the focus will be on improving from their losing starts this season. Both teams are missing key players due to injuries, with KKR's Matheesha Pathirana and SRH's Pat Cummins sidelined. This match promises an abundance of sixes, considering Eden Gardens' reputation as a six-hitting ground. Betting predictions favor Ishan Kishan and Ajinkya Rahane for top scores, while David Payne is expected to shine with wickets.
- Kolkata Knight Riders ran Mumbai close, losing in the final over.
- Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batters failed to utilise a good track and left their bowlers exposed in the second innings.
- Explore betting opportunities in handicaps, batters to Score Over/Under Runs, bowlers to Take Over/Under Wickets markets and Match Sixes.
Expired
Ajinkya Rahane plays fine against CSK (Getty Images).
This Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad prediction preview looks ahead to the IPL group match played in India. Both sides got off to losing starts in the first match of their 2026 campaign.
- Match Details
- Recent Form
- Head-to-Head Record
- Team News
- Key Stats
- Match Analysis
- Betting Markets to Watch
- Latest Odds
Batters on both sides did well to post scores over 200, but in good batting conditions it was not enough for their bowlers to defend. The Sunrisers’ top order performed poorly, with just two batters passing scores of 11.
Match Details
| Match | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad |
|---|---|
| Competition | Indian Premier League |
| Date | 2 April 2026 |
| Time | 16:00 SAST |
| Venue | Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India |
Recent Form
| Team | Last 5 Matches |
|---|---|
| Kolkata Knight Riders | WL–LL |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | –WWWL |
Sunrisers ended last season on a high, beating the struggling Knight Riders in both of their last matches of 2025, with neither hitting the playoffs.
Head-to-Head Record
| Date | Winner | Margin of victory | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 May 2025 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 110 runs | IPL |
| 3 Apr 2025 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 80 runs | IPL |
| 26 May 2024 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 8 wickets | IPL |
| 21 May 2024 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 8 wickets | IPL |
| 23 March 2024 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 4 runs | IPL |
The two met in the 2024 final which saw the Knight Riders crush the Sunrisers by 8 wickets as part of a four-match winning streak against the Hyderabad outfit. Last season they both struggled, with each side picking up a win.
Team News
Kolkata Knight Riders: KKR have started their 2026 campaign without their star paceman, Matheesha Pathirana, who was injured during the T20 World Cup. They were hoping he would be back in the first week of April, but latest reports suggest he has failed a fitness test and might be ruled out of the entire season.
KKR possible XI: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Blessing Muzarabani.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Sunrisers match-winning skipper Pat Cummins is also still on the treatment table and is unlikely to see action before the end of April.
Sunrisers possible XI: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (c), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga.
Key Stats
- Kolkata Knight Riders’ Ajinkya Rahane hit 5 sixes in his 40-ball 67 against Mumbai.
- Kolkata Knight Riders’ Angkrish Raghuvanshi hit 8 boundaries in his 29-ball 51.
- Kolkata Knight Riders’ Sunil Narine has taken a wicket in each of his last 4 matches, including 2/18 against the Royals.
- Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Ishan Kishan hit 13 boundaries (5 sixes) in his 38-ball 80 against RCB.
- Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Aniket Verma hit 4 sixes in his 18-ball 43 against RCB.
- Sunrisers Hyderabad’s David Payne has taken 2/30, 2/13, 3/18 & 2/35 in his last 4 matches.
Match Analysis
Ajinkya Rahane got the Knight Riders off to a flying start against Mumbai but the middle order failed to take advantage of that platform. On a good batting strip they will need to turn the gas on in the middle overs in particular.
KKR struggled to break Mumbai’s opening stand, but the poor performance of their spinners Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy in their opener will be a concern on a pitch likely to offer juice to seamers and spinners alike.
The Sunrisers’ bowling attack is also lacking in bite and they will be counting the days until Pat Cummins is match fit. With a lack of top-quality bowlers we should be in for a flood of sixes at Eden Gardens, which was the six-hitting capital of the 2024 IPL. That season 154 sixes were scored, and in 200 matches there have been 1304 in total. The two teams hit a combined 21 sixes in their last match, so at Eden Gardens I would expect them to better that figure.
Eden Gardens has proved a good ground to chase on, so the toss will be important to win but, equally, the side batting first really needs to get off to a flying start. With the pitch likely to offer some assistance to the seamers upfront, that bring the possibility of a top-order collapse for the side batting first if the bounce of the ball is against them.
Betting Markets to Watch
Player Performance
Ishan Kishan to top score for Sunrisers.
Score Over/Under Runs
Ajinkya Rahane to get his side off to a good start at the top of the order.
Take Over/Under Wickets
David Payne has been taking wickets consistently and is worth backing to take 1+ wickets.
Most Match Sixes
Eden Gardens is one of the best grounds for hitting sixes, so there could be a bonanza in this match with two top-heavy batting line-ups.
Latest Odds
| Market | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kolkata Knight Riders Win | 1.9 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad Win | 1.88 |
| Match to go to a Super Over | 26 |
Verdict
Ishan Kishan to top-score for Sunrisers.
Ajinkya Rahane to score over 24 runs.
David Payne to take 2 or more wickets.
The two sides to improve their match tally of sixes at this six-hitting paradise.
Ajinkya Rahane to score over 24 runs.
David Payne to take 2 or more wickets.
The two sides to improve their match tally of sixes at this six-hitting paradise.
Ajinkya Rahane
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Match Sixes
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David Payne
Sunrisers’ Best Bowler
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Ishan Kishan
Sunrisers’ Best Batter
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