Kolkata Knight Riders will be eager to rediscover form for their spinners as two batting-rich sides clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday.With three games in seven days before a long break due to assembly elections, the match marks the start of an important home series for KKR. With four away fixtures to follow, building momentum at Eden Gardens — where they have won 54 of 95 matches — is crucial.KKR’s campaign has been hampered by a weak bowling unit. Injuries to Harshit Rana and Akash Deep, the absence of Mathisha Pathirana and the limited role of Cameron Green have reduced their depth. However, the biggest concern is spin, with Sunil Narine and Varun Chakraborty struggling in the opener.SRH are in the same position after losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Despite a strong top order, their bowling looks weak without Pete Cummins, putting extra pressure on both departments to deliver.
Five To see the players i KKR vs SRH
Abhishek Sharma (SRH)The world No. 1 batsman has been enduring a tough time since the start of the T20 World Cup 2026, and it continues in the IPL 2026 as well. Despite a victorious campaign for India, Abhishek was heavily scrutinized for his disappointing display, even though he scored 52 in the final. In the opening match of the new IPL season, the left-handed opener failed to fire and was dismissed for 7 runs off 8 balls. SRH scored 201 runs, but RCB managed it in just 15.4 overs. The explosive batsman will look to change his fortunes against KKR in Eden. The 25-year-old is now in his eighth season with SRH, and the team will be hoping for another 400-plus season from their star batsman after achieving the same feat in the last two seasons.Varun Chakraborty (KKR)India’s X-factor in the T20I bowling set-up, Varun Chakraborty, also had a low T20 World Cup despite finishing as the joint-highest wicket-taker with teammate Jasprit Bumrah. Most of his wickets came in the early stages of the tournament, his performance in the games needed to win was not outstanding. Now he is in the news again in IPL 2026, as the premier KKR spinner returned a disappointing figure of 0 for 48 in the high-scoring opener against MI at the Wankhede. Varun has had three good seasons in a row for KKR, and the team will again look to him for a major breakthrough in their first home game.Ishan Kishan (SRH)Ishan Kishan has been the talk of the town in recent months. One of the stars of India’s triumphant T20 World Cup campaign, Ishan now leads SRH in the absence of regular skipper Pat Cummins. Continuing his excellent form from the World Cup, he opened IPL 2026 with a 38-ball 80 against RCB. Although his team was beaten, Ishaan is a force to be reckoned with. They will be looking for another big knock against KKR on the high-scoring Eden pitch.Aniket Verma (SRH)Young middle-order batsman Aniket Verma showed his mettle in SRH’s season opener against RCB. The 24-year-old led SRH to a competitive 201/9 with four sixes and three fours in an 18-ball 43 late charge. Although the total proved inadequate, Aniket’s power game grabbed attention. After a good debut season last year, the youngster will be aiming for another strong campaign.Angkrish Raghuvanshi (KKR)The young keeper-batsman was in his element in KKR’s opener, scoring a 29-ball 51 against MI. KKR posted 220/4 at Wankhede, but were easily chased down. The 21-year-old will be looking for another good outing at home this time around. In his third season with KKR, Raghuvanshi will be aiming for a successful year.
