Sunrisers Hyderabad Opt to Bat First Against Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2026 Clash

In an exciting IPL 2026 match, Sunrisers Hyderabad won the toss and opted to bat first against Kolkata Knight Riders. With key player changes on both sides, the match promises to be thrilling. SRH captain Pat Cummins expressed confidence in their batting strategy, while KKR's Ajinkya Rahane highlighted their focus on improving small moments. Discover the full details of the playing XIs and the captains' insights as the teams clash at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

By Narendra Chaudhary May 3, 2026, 15:28 IST

Match Overview

Hyderabad: In the 45th match of IPL 2026, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) won the toss and chose to bat first against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday.

SRH has made two adjustments to their lineup. Nitish Kumar Reddy is sidelined due to illness, allowing Smaran Ravichandran to make his debut. Additionally, Harshal Patel replaces Harsh Dubey.

KKR also introduced two changes, with Finn Allen and Manish Pandey stepping in for Tim Seifert and Ramandeep Singh.

After the toss, SRH captain Pat Cummins remarked, “We’ll bat first. The pitch appears favorable, and the heat is intense. We aim to set a substantial total. I’m not the best at pitch analysis; it looks promising and should yield high scores. Our younger players have excelled, and the veterans have performed admirably. We’ve consistently surpassed 220 runs, except for one instance. We understand that winning every match is unrealistic, but our current approach is effective. Nitish is out due to illness, so Smaran will debut. Harshal Patel is in for Harsh Dubey.”

Conversely, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane expressed, “We also preferred to bat first. The break has been beneficial; we’ve reflected on our strengths and areas for improvement. Winning those crucial moments is key. We’ve made two changes: Finn Allen replaces Tim Seifert, and Manish Pandey is making his debut in place of Ramandeep Singh.”

Playing XIs

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora(wk), Aniket Verma, Smaran Ravichandran, Pat Cummins(c), Shivang Kumar, Harshal Patel, Eshan Malinga.

Impact Substitutes: Harsh Dubey, Praful Hinge, Liam Livingston, Sakib Hussain, Zeeshan Ansari.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane(c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi(wk), Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Impact Substitutes: Finn Allen, Ramandeep Singh, Tejasvi Dahiya, Navdeep Saini, Tim Seifert.