IPL 2026 Today’s Match: KKR vs SRH playing 11, batters vs bowlers match-ups | IPL 2026

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in match 6 of IPL 2026 at Eden Gardens today, with both sides searching for their first win of the season.

Both teams come into the contest after similar defeats, where strong batting performances were overshadowed by ineffective bowling. Each side posted totals in excess of 200 in their opening matches but failed to defend them, exposing concerns in their bowling units.

The home side continues to deal with a depleted pace attack due to injuries and availability issues, which has affected their balance. The situation is further complicated by limitations around a key overseas all-round option, restricting flexibility in team combinations. Their spin department remains a strength, but it will need better support from the rest of the attack.

The visitors, too, struggled to contain the opposition in their opener, with none of their bowlers managing to apply consistent pressure. Their bowling lacks depth and variety, making it difficult to control high-scoring games.

With both teams boasting strong batting line-ups, the contest could once again turn into a run-heavy encounter unless the bowlers step up.

But before the two sides finally take the ground, let’s take a look at the captaincy record of both skippers, their expected playing 11 combinations, and key player match-ups for the game.

Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy record in IPL (KKR)

• 
  Matches: 40
• 
  Wins: 14
• 
  Losses: 24
• 
  N/R: 2
• 
  Win percentage: 36.84%

Ishan Kishan’s captaincy record in IPL (SRH)

• 
  Matches: 1
• 
  Wins: 0
• 
  Losses: 1
• 
  N/R: 0
• 
  Win percentage: 0%

IPL 2026: KKR playing 11 vs SRH

Kolkata Knight Riders are dealing with multiple bowling setbacks ahead of the clash. Harshit Rana and Akash Deep remain unavailable due to injuries, while Matheesha Pathirana is still awaiting clearance from Sri Lanka Cricket.

Cameron Green is available only as a batter due to workload restrictions, further weakening their bowling depth. This leaves added responsibility on Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, who struggled in the previous game.

KKR may consider bringing in Rovman Powell for added balance and finishing power. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane’s form at the top is a positive, but the side needs improved execution in the middle overs.

Kolkata Knight Riders playing 11 (probable): Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (w), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Blessing Muzarabani

Impact players: Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Dubey, Tejasvi Dahiya

KKR squad for IPL 2026:

Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rinku Singh (vc), Finn Allen, Tejasvi Dahiya (wk), Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Sarthak Ranjan, Tim Seifert (wk), Rahul Tripathi, Daksh Kamra, Cameron Green, Sunil Narine, Rachin Ravindra, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Saurabh Dubey, Kartik Tyagi, Blessing Muzarabani, Matheesha Pathirana, Navdeep Saini, Prashant Solanki, Umran Malik, Varun Chakravarthy

IPL 2026: SRH playing 11 vs KKR

Sunrisers Hyderabad are also facing concerns, particularly in their bowling unit. Pat Cummins is yet to regain full fitness and is unlikely to feature, leaving a leadership and experience gap.

In their previous outing, bowlers like Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat and Eshan Malinga failed to defend a big total, exposing their lack of control in key phases. The team will rely heavily on their strong top order, including Ishan Kishan, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, to deliver.

SRH will look for a more balanced performance after their opening defeat and need early breakthroughs to stay competitive.

Sunrisers Hyderabad playing 11 (probable): Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (w/c), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga

Impact players: Shivang Kumar, Liam Livingstone, David Payne, R Smaran, Sakib Hussain

SRH squad for IPL 2026:

Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Smaran Ravichandran, Abhishek Sharma, Harsh Dubey, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (c), Eshan Malinga, Jaydev Unadkat, Harshal Patel, Salil Arora, Praful Hinge, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mavi, Jack Edwards, Brydon Carse, Sakib Hussain, Zeeshan Ansari, Aniket Verma, Amit Kumar, Krains Fuletra

IPL 2026: KKR vs SRH key player battles

KKR batters vs SRH bowlers

SRH batters vs KKR bowlers