Both Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad will be eager to open their account when the two batting-heavy sides face off in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash at the Eden Gardens here on Thursday.
After starting their campaigns with defeats, both teams head into the contest looking to correct early-season issues and gain momentum in the tournament.
For Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the match also begins a crucial phase of home fixtures. The three-time champions are set to play three matches in seven days at Eden Gardens and another on April 19 before the Kolkata leg of the tournament pauses for nearly a month due to the upcoming assembly elections.
With four away fixtures to follow and their next home game scheduled only for May 16, KKR will be keen to make the most of this stretch.
Eden Gardens has historically been a stronghold for the franchise, with KKR winning 54 of their 95 matches here since the league’s inception in 2008.
However, their opening defeat exposed a few areas of concern, particularly with the bowling attack. Injuries and availability issues have left the side short on options. Harshit Rana and Akash Deep are unavailable, Matheesha Pathirana is still awaiting a no-objection certificate from Sri Lanka Cricket, while their marquee overseas signing Cameron Green is currently being used only as a batter due to workload management guidelines.
The lack of bowling depth was evident in their opening match against Mumbai Indians, where KKR failed to defend a total of 220. Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton stitched together a 148-run opening stand in just 72 deliveries, highlighting KKR’s inability to break partnerships early.
The bigger concern, though, will be the performance of their spin duo, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. Chakravarthy went wicketless and conceded 48 runs in the previous outing, while Narine bowled only three overs and was introduced after the powerplay.
With Green not bowling, KKR could also consider bringing in Rovman Powell to strengthen the batting line-up. The West Indian has proven T20 credentials and has enjoyed success at Eden Gardens before.
The pitch is expected to offer assistance to both seamers and spinners, with scores around the 200 mark considered competitive, which makes it important for KKR’s spinners to rediscover their rhythm.
The team will also be hoping for a more consistent innings from captain Ajinkya Rahane. While Rahane started aggressively in the previous game, racing to 36 off 18 balls in the powerplay, his scoring rate slowed in the middle overs, where he managed just 31 runs off 22 balls without a boundary, a phase that cost KKR valuable momentum.
Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad arrive in Kolkata with similar concerns after suffering defeat in their opening match against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Despite boasting a formidable top order featuring Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Travis Head, SRH struggled to capitalise after losing early wickets. Their bowling attack also came under pressure as they failed to defend a total of 201.
The absence of captain Pat Cummins has added to their challenges. The Australian is yet to regain full match fitness, although he has resumed bowling in the nets and is expected to return later in the tournament. In his absence, SRH bowlers Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jaydev Unadkat, Harshal Patel and Eshan Malinga found it difficult to contain the opposition.
With both teams searching for their first win of the season, Thursday’s contest could play a crucial role in shaping the early momentum of their IPL campaigns.