IPL: Here's why SRH can extend winning streak against KKR
What's the story
Sunrisers Hyderabad will take on Kolkata Knight Riders in the 45th match of IPL 2026 at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The Orange Army, who are currently on a five-match winning streak, has sealed six of their nine games this season. Meanwhile, KKR have claimed just two wins from eight matches. SRH should be confident to extend their winning run, having beaten KKR by 65 runs earlier in the season. Here's why the hosts can dominate the upcoming fixture.
KKR
KKR on a comeback trail
Meanwhile, KKR are also on a comeback trail. The three-time champions lost five of their first six matches but have bounced back with two consecutive wins. However, the team still has several issues to counter. Their batting has been a hit-and-miss, with none of the players delivering consistently. Though mystery spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine have done well, their pacers have been leaking runs. With SRH being on a roll, KKR can't afford lackluster performances.
SRH
SRH have been on a roll
Three of the SRH's top-four batters, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Heinrich Klaasen, have tallied over 300 runs this season. Moreover, on two instances this season, the team has chased down targets of 225-plus. Moreover, Pat Cummins's return has strengthened SRH's bowling attack. The likes of Sakib Hussain and Eshan Malinga have also been sensational in death overs. These factors make SRH far superior to KKR in terms of on-paper strength.
Line-ups
Probable XIIs of the 2 teams
SRH (Predicted playing XII): Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora (wk), Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (c), Harsh Dubey, Praful Hinge, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain. KKR (Predicted playing XII): Ajinkya Rahane (c), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Matheesha Pathirana.