The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will face the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Match 6 of the 2026 Indian Premier League at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday, April 2.
Both teams lost their opening matches this season. SRH fell to defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), while KKR was defeated by Mumbai Indians (MI) at Wankhede Stadium.
Last season, KKR and SRH met twice after contesting the IPL final the previous year, with each team winning once. KKR defeated SRH at Eden Gardens by 80 runs, as SRH was bowled out for 120 while chasing a target of 201. Varun Chakravarthy and Vaibhav Arora each took three wickets.
Recent matches at Eden Gardens have been exciting, benefiting both batters and bowlers. The match on Thursday is expected to be competitive, with both KKR and SRH featuring several star players.
Eden Gardens: Pitch Report
Initially, the Eden Gardens pitch favored spin, with KKR utilizing bowlers like Sunil Narine and Piyush Chawla. However, it has evolved into a surface more suited for batting.
In recent IPL seasons, chasing has been advantageous at Eden Gardens. A notable instance was when Punjab Kings successfully chased down 262 runs. The captain winning the toss will likely choose to bowl first, considering dew may affect conditions later in the match.
IPL Stats and Records at the Eden Gardens
| Matches Played |
100 |
| Matches Won Batting First |
42 |
| Matches Won Batting Second |
57 |
| Matches With No Result |
01 |
| Matches Tied |
00 |
| Average First Innings Score |
170 |
| Highest Team Total |
262 |
| Highest Total Successfully Chased |
262 |
KKR vs SRH: Strategies and Match-ups
Both KKR and SRH feature powerful batsmen capable of scoring high and successfully chasing targets. The main difference lies in their bowling strategies. SRH relies on fast bowlers, while KKR emphasizes their spin attack.
Historically, KKR has performed well against SRH, winning 20 out of 30 meetings between the two teams in IPL history.