Sunrisers Hyderabad held their nerve at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, winning the toss and choosing to bat first against Kolkata Knight Riders in their IPL 2026 encounter. Pat Cummins, captaining the hosts, backed an aggressive brand of cricket and suggested the conditions should suit batting, with the added factor of heat likely to make it a high-scoring contest. He also pointed to the momentum the side has built—highlighting how both the younger contributors and the senior names have found form—and noted that while winning every match from here is unlikely, the team is leaning on the style that has brought them success, currently riding a run of five consecutive wins.
What Cummins and Rahane said at the toss
- Cummins said Sunrisers would bat first, describing the pitch as offering good batting conditions and stressing that it was very hot.
- He indicated he isn’t particularly focused on pitch reading, but felt the surface looked favourable and could produce a high total.
- The captain credited the team’s rhythm to younger players arriving and performing brilliantly, while established batters have also “hit their stride”.
- Cummins referenced that the side has been able to post 220+ in all but one game, framing the current run as a sign that everyone is playing the plan they’ve bought into.
- On their winning streak, he said it’s improbable they’ll win every remaining match, but the team wants to stay committed to the approach that has been working.
- He also addressed a personnel change: Nitish was ruled out due to illness, with Smaran Ravichandran coming in for his first appearance, and Harshal Patel replacing Harsh Dubey.
- Ajinkya Rahane said KKR would also have preferred to bat first, but added that the break had helped the group reset.
- Rahane explained the time was used for review—identifying what went well and what needed improvement—while stressing that in T20 cricket, small moments often decide the outcome.
- He underlined the importance of staying present and being slightly proactive to win those key stretches during the game.
- Rahane then confirmed KKR’s tactical updates: Finn Allen returning in place of Tim Seifert, and Manish Pandey coming into the XI for Ramandeep Singh, marking his first appearance of the season.
Playing XIs and impact options
Kolkata Knight Riders
- Playing XI: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (w), Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy.
- Impact subs: Finn Allen, Ramandeep Singh, Tejasvi Dahiya, Navdeep Saini, Tim Seifert.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
- Playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (w), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Smaran Ravichandran, Pat Cummins (c), Shivang Kumar, Harshal Patel, Eshan Malinga.
- Impact subs: Praful Hinge, Harsh Dubey, Liam Livingstone, Sakib Hussain, Zeeshan Ansari.
