Hyderabad: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 45th match of the IPL 2026 season on Sunday, May 3, at 3:30 PM at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. SRH have been in exceptional form and look strong and unstoppable with five consecutive wins, while KKR are trying to bounce back in the league after a difficult losing streak, having managed to secure two crucial recent victories. With this clash, the key question arises- will Matheesha Pathirana play against SRH?
In the previous match between SRH and KKR on April 2 at Eden Gardens this season, KKR were bowled out for 161, and SRH won the match by 65 runs. SRH are currently holding the 3rd position on the table with 12 points, after losing three early matches in the league. They made a massive bounce back in the Rajasthan match, where Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain strengthened their bowling attack. Eshan Malinga has been consistently impressive with the ball, and the bowling unit has become even stronger with the return of captain Pat Cummins. Their batting order has been incredible. In the last match against MI, they chased down 243 runs easily. The fiery opening duo, Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, are in excellent form. In the Orange Cap list, Abhishek Sharma holds the second position with 425 runs, while Heinrich Klaasen is in third position with 414 runs. In the middle order, along with Klaasen, Ishan Kishan and Nitish Kumar Reddy have also done a fantastic job. With this all-round performance, the team is becoming increasingly dangerous day by day.
On the other hand, KKR started their campaign with a disappointing six-match losing streak but finally broke it with two consecutive wins. They have now improved their position from the bottom of the table to 8th place with 5 points. Their last match was highly intense and went into a Super Over, where outstanding performances by Rinku Singh and Sunil Narine secured the win. However, KKR still have a lot to improve. Although Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy are in great form and contributing significantly with the ball, the inconsistency of the batting order remains a major concern. Openers Ajinkya Rahane (captain) and Tim Seifert have been unable to provide solid starts, putting pressure on the middle order. While Rinku Singh and Cameron Green have scored runs, their contributions have not been efficient enough. In the last match, the batting order collapsed quickly, increasing pressure on the bowlers.
In their previous encounter with SRH, KKR were unable to restrict the run flow with the ball and also failed to chase the target. They need to find solutions quickly.
Another concern is the availability of Matheesha Pathirana, who may play against SRH. He has been with the KKR squad for almost two weeks after recovering fitness issues. He has been seen practicing in the nets, but there is still no official update on his return. Regarding his availability, bowling coach Tim Southee said in the pre-match conference:
“He has been with the team for a few days. We will take a decision on the team after assessing the situation. We will field the best team. Pathirana is bowling well in practice, and we are very happy to have him.”
In IPL history, both teams have faced each other 31 times. Sunrisers Hyderabad have won 11 matches, while Kolkata Knight Riders have won 20 matches.
Kolkata Knight Riders Squad:
Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Finn Allen, Tejasvi Singh, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Rovman Powell, Anukul Roy, Cameron Green, Sarthak Ranjan, Daksh Kamra, Rachin Ravindra, Ramandeep Singh, Sunil Narine, Blessing Muzarabani, Vaibhav Arora, Matheesha Pathirana, Kartik Tyagi, Prashant Solanki, Saurabh Dubey, Navdeep Saini, Umran Malik, Varun Chakravarthy.
Kolkata Knight Riders Playing XI:
Ajinkya Rahane (c), Tim Seifert (w), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi.
Impact Player: Varun Chakravarthy
Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad:
Ishan Kishan, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Harshal Patel, Liam Livingstone, Pat Cummins, Jaydev Unadkat, Aniket Verma, Smaran Ravichandran, Salil Arora, Kamindu Mendis, Harsh Dubey, Brydon Carse, Shivam Kumar, Krains Fuletra, David Payne, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Onkar Tarmale, Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Shivam Mavi.
Sunrisers Hyderabad Playing XI:
Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (w), Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Pat Cummins (c), Harsh Dubey, Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge.
Impact Player: Eshan Malinga
The weather in Hyderabad is expected to be extremely hot and dry. Temperatures during match time are likely to range between 38°C and 42°C, with clear skies and almost no chance of rain. Humidity will be moderate at around 30–40%, and although a light breeze may provide slight relief, conditions will remain harsh due to the intense heat, especially in this day game. A full match is expected without interruptions. The pitch at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium is likely to be flat and batting-friendly. Fast bowlers may get slight assistance early on, but overall it strongly favors batters, with high scores expected. Spinners could find some grip in the middle overs, but the surface should remain good for batting throughout, making it ideal for a high-scoring contest. This clash promises to be highly exciting whether KKR can take revenge or SRH continue their outstanding form remains to be seen.
