IPL 2026: SRH vs KKR, Match 45 – Top player battles to watch out for

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) square off against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in match No. 45 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday, May 3.

Pat Cummins and Co. have made a tremendous comeback in IPL 2026. After losing three of their first four matches, the Orange Army bounced back to win five straight games. They can move to the top of the points table with a win on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Kolkata Knight Riders are coming into this clash on the back of consecutive wins. They started their campaign with five defeats in six matches. In their last game, they defeated the Lucknow Super Giants in the Super Over, which must have done a world of good to the team’s confidence.

Here are the top player battles to watch out for from Match 45:

3) Rinku Singh vs Eshan Malinga

Rinku Singh had a slow start to the season, struggling to play fluently. However, he has returned to form with back-to-back half-centuries in the last couple of matches. His unbeaten knock of 83 off 51 balls on a tough batting track at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in the last game was remarkable.

Eshan Malinga has been the man in form with the ball for the Sunrisers. In nine matches, he has picked up 15 wickets at an average of 18.93 and an economy rate of 9.16. The right-arm seamer has bowled at various stages of the matches and looked equally effective.

2) Heinrich Klaasen vs Matheesha Pathirana

Heinrich Klaasen has been in scintillating form this season. He has amassed 414 runs in nine innings at an average of 59.14 and a strike rate of 157.42. The 34-year-old will look to continue on his purple patch on Friday.

Matheesha Pathirana is expected to make his much-awaited KKR debut on Friday. The Sri Lankan seamer is known for his lethal yorkers at the back end of the innings. However, it will be interesting to see how he fares after recovering from an injury.

1) Abhishek Sharma vs Sunil Narine

Abhishek Sharma needs nine runs to reclaim the Orange Cap. In nine innings, he has amassed 425 runs at an average of 53.13 and a strike rate of 209.36. The Punjab batter has notched up three fifties and one century so far.

Meanwhile, Sunil Narine has once again been Ajinkya Rahane’s go-to bowler. He has picked up seven wickets in as many matches. The mystery spinner’s economy rate of 6.67 is staggering in modern-day cricket. Narine could be brought into the attack early against the left-hander-heavy top three of the Sunrisers.