Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders, the two teams with an in-depth batting line-up will face off against each other in the 45th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
SRH will play its fifth home match of this season at the Rajiv Gandhi International (RGI) Stadium in Hyderabad. The Orange Army has been dominant at home, winning 3 out of 4 games. Also, Sunrisers’ recent 6-wicket win against the Mumbai Indians in a high-scoring run chase proves their immense firepower in the batting unit.
KKR, on the other hand, didn’t experience a memorable campaign this season by suffering five straight losses. However, the back-to-back wins help the three-time champions stay in contention for the playoff race.
With a few hours left for the highly anticipated clash to commence this Sunday afternoon, it’s time to predict the winner of the upcoming match. Let’s analyze the head-to-head records, weather forecast, pitch report, toss winning captain’s strategic decision, possible playing XI, and impact player selection strategy of both teams.
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2026 Match Details
| Match Number in IPL 2026 | 45 |
| Date and Day | May 03rd 2026 (Sunday) |
| Venue | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad |
| Seating Limit | 39,200 (Maximum spectators allowed) |
| Match Timings (IST) | 03:30 pm |
| Wins and Losses | SRH: 6 Wins and 3 Losses (out of 9 matches played) |
| KKR: 2 Wins, 5 Losses, and 1 Abandoned Match (out of 8 matches played) | |
| Points and Net Run Rate (NRR) | SRH: 12 Points and +0.832 NRR |
| KKR: 5 Points and -0.751 NRR |
SRH vs KKR Head-to-Head in IPL History Since 2013
| Stats | SRH | KKR |
| Total Matches Played | 31 | 31 |
| Won | 11 | 20 |
| Highest Innings Total | 278/3 (in IPL 2026) | 208/7 (in IPL 2024) |
| Lowest Innings Total | 113/10 (in IPL 2024) | 101/4 (in IPL 2015) |
| Winnings Batting First | 07 | 09 |
| Winnings Batting Second | 04 | 10 |
| Super Over Winnings | 0 | 01 (in IPL 2020) |
Head-to-Head Records of SRH vs KKR at RGI Stadium in Hyderabad
| Stats | SRH | KKR |
| Total Matches Played at RGI Stadium (SRH vs KKR) | 07 | 07 |
| Won | 02 | 05 |
| Highest Innings Total at this venue | 172/9 (in IPL 2018) | 173/5 (in IPL 2018) |
| Lowest Innings Total at this venue | 130/7 (in IPL 2013) | 132/5 (in IPL 2013) |
| Winnings Batting First at this venue | 0 | 01 |
| Winnings Batting Second at this venue | 02 | 04 |
| Super Over Winnings at this venue | 0 | 0 |
RGI Stadium Latest Update: Weather, Pitch, and Toss Winner Strategy For SRH vs KKR IPL 2026 Match
- Weather: The hazy and warm weather conditions with 42°C temperature, 13 km/hr wind speed, and 19% humidity make it tough for players to perform during afternoon matches at the RGI stadium.
- Pitch: There is no doubt that the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium pitches assist batters and guarantee a high-scoring contest.
However, experienced pacers can control the flow of runs in the power play. This could only be possible by maintaining a disciplined bowling attack, added with accurate lines and lengths. Accumulating a total above 225 or 250 runs on the board can prove to be competitive to chase at this venue. - Toss: Bowling first during a sunny afternoon can prove to be an ideal choice as the pitch conditions are expected to favor batters under the lights.
Playing XI and Impact Player Choice in SRH vs KKR IPL 2026 Match
SRH and KKR are expected to continue with their same playing XI combination and impact player selection for the upcoming match.
Sunrisers Hyderabad Expected Starting XI and Impact Player:
| S.No | Player | Role |
| 1. | Travis Head (Overseas) | Batsman |
| 2. | Abhishek Sharma | All-Rounder |
| 3. | Ishan Kishan | Wicketkeeper and Batsman |
| 4. | Nitish Kumar Reddy | Batsman |
| 5. | Heinrich Klaasen (Overseas) | Wicketkeeper and Batsman |
| 6. | Salil Arora | Wicketkeeper and Batsman |
| 7. | Harsh Dubey | Spin Bowling All-Rounder |
| 8. | Pat Cummins (Captain / Overseas) | Fast Bowler |
| 9. | Sakib Hussain | Fast Bowler |
| 10. | Praful Hinge | Fast Bowler |
| 11. | Eshan Malinga | Fast Bowler |
| 12. (IMPACT PLAYER) | Aniket Verma | Batsman |
Kolkata Knight Riders Expected Starting XI and Impact Player:
| S.No | Player | Role |
| 1. | Ajinkya Rahane (Captain) | Batsman |
| 2. | Tim Seifert (Overseas) | Wicketkeeper and Batsman |
| 3. | Cameron Green (Overseas) | Fast Bowling All-Rounder |
| 4. | Angkrish Raghuvanshi | Batsman |
| 5. | Rovman Powell (Overseas) | Batsman |
| 6. | Rinku Singh | Batsman |
| 7. | Sunil Narine (Overseas) | Spin Bowling All-Rounder |
| 8. | Ramandeep Singh | Fast Bowling All-Rounder |
| 9. | Anukul Roy | Spin Bowling All-Rounder |
| 10. | Vaibhav Arora | Fast Bowler |
| 11. | Kartik Tyagi | Fast Bowler |
| 12. (IMPACT PLAYER) | Varun Chakravarthy | Spin Bowler |
IPL 2026 45th Match Winner Prediction: SRH vs KKR?
The head-to-head records in IPL history and RGI stadium favor Kolkata Knight Riders, but Sunrisers Hyderabad holds the maximum winning chances in the upcoming match. This is because of the orange army’s recent form, added to Pat Cummins captaincy brilliance.
KKR could face the threat of elimination if their batting order fails to explode in a highly crucial moment. In other words, if the SRH batters dominate the powerplay, there are higher chances of Cummins and his men securing another victory and enhancing their rankings among the top four teams in the IPL 2026 points table.