The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are all set to take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad(SRH) in Match No. 68 of the ongoing IPL 2025 at the iconic Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Sunday, May 25. Notably, this is a dead rubber and the last league game for both teams.Cricket is a great leveller. Just as success is fleeting, failure too is inevitable, and it’s this very uncertainty that defines the beauty of sport.
This holds especially true in T20 cricket, where momentum swings wildly like a misfiring seesaw. Just last year, KKR and SRH enjoyed terrific campaigns, culminating in a clash in the final where KKR clinched their third IPL title. Fast forward to IPL 2025, and both teams find themselves out of playoff contention. Now, the 2024 finalists are set to face off once again, this time in their final league game of the season, with only the timeless cliche of playing for pride on the line.
KKR vs SRH : Previous Performances
Sunrisers Hyderabad began the tournament in emphatic fashion, dismantling Rajasthan Royals in a record-smashing win. But the high-octane batting template that defined their early success soon lost its edge. Opposing teams responded with sharp strategies to blunt SRH’s firepower, and with their bowling built around containment rather than aggression, any stutter with the bat left the side exposed.
Travis Head couldn’t quite hit the heights he had previously set, which placed greater responsibility on his younger partner, Abhishek Sharma. While Abhishek produced a few standout innings, SRH ultimately lacked the collective spark that had made them such a formidable force in 2024.
Pat Cummins’ men come into this fixture with a touch of momentum, having secured back-to-back wins. SRH first chased down a 200-plus target with ease against LSG in Lucknow, then followed it up by defending a hefty 231 against RCB at the same venue. It’s fair to say their batting has rediscovered some of its early-season flair, even if a little too late. With this match set to be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, SRH’s batters will once again back themselves on a surface that often rewards strokeplay.
Meanwhile, SRH also has had a similar story to tell as they hold the eighth position in the points tally. After a slow start, the Pat Cummins-led team have found rhythm in the last few games and are coming off two consecutive wins. The 18th season was far from ideal for the previous finalists. KKR, with five wins and six losses in 13 games, had a chance to make it to the top four but never found momentum from the beginning. With a revamped squad this season, they failed to defend their title.
KKR may be out of playoff contention, but the pair have been outstanding all season, relentlessly stifling batters and offering little margin for error. Unfortunately for the defending champions, they didn’t have much else to show apart from their spin prowess and the occasional batting brilliance from certain individuals.
The big ticket signing of Venkatesh Iyer was a marquee move that hasn’t worked out this season, so much so that the left-hander has even been left out of the playing XII in recent games. Ironically for KKR, their batters have been inefficient in handling spin and the middle overs batting often cost them crucial impetus against tough opponents. The bowling hasn’t really done a bad job for KKR but their batting issues is what proved to be critical.
The holders have also had to part ways with a few key players from their title-winning squad of 2024 but this is unavoidable when a mega auction comes around. They still do have a decent core and some sensible mini-auction buys and some tactical tweaks should help the side to turn things around. They have one more chance this season to try out a few things while also hoping to end on a high. For SRH, making it three in a row will be some comfort in a season where they could have done a lot better.
KKR vs SRH : Head to Head
SRH 9-KKR 20. The Knight Riders have also won six of the last eight fixtures between the sides, including last year’s final. The Knight Riders have won 19 out of 29 matches against the Sunrisers since their first meeting in 2013, with one match in 2020 ending in a tie. At neutral venues, SRH have never beaten KKR in their three meetings. Kolkata also have a 5-0 lead over Hyderabad in their last five meetings.
| Matches Played | 29 |
| Won by Kolkata Knight Riders | 19 |
| Won by Sunrisers Hyderabad | 9 |
| Tied | 01 |
| No Result | 00 |
| First-ever Fixture | April 14, 2013 |
| Most-recent Fixture | April 03, 2025 |
KKR vs SRH : Pitch and Weather Report
The pitch at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium is expected to be on the slower side, helping spinners due to its dry surface and patches of grass. Dew is likely to play a key role later in the evening, prompting the toss-winning captain to opt for bowling first. Meanwhile, there is no prediction of rain in Delhi on the match day.
Hot weather with temperatures hovering around the mid-30s and high humidity. Pitches here have been high scoring and the small ground dimensions mean that six-hitting will be in business. There has been some help for spinners but that hasn’t been drastic enough to stop run fests. Expect another high scoring game.
The average first-innings score at the Arun Jaitley Stadium this season has been 191, with results going 3-2 in favour of the chasing side. Scores of 200 have happened only three times in six matches, while spinners (31 wickets at 31.5, with an economy rate of 8.9) have outbowled the quicks (29 wickets at 43.9, with economy of 10.3). It should be a dry evening.
KKR vs SRH : Big Picture : Both KKR and SRH look to end IPL 2025 with a win
It has been a while since Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), last season’s finalists, were eliminated from IPL 2025. Their mid-season woes were too much to make up for, even with KKR winning two of their last three completed games and SRH three of their last four.
However, a win in their final match could give some respite – on the points table, at least – as they can finish sixth. That’s the motivation for both sides as they meet at a neutral venue, Delhi, looking to finish their campaign on a positive note.
SRH have lost their last five games against KKR. But form is on their side. They dispatched Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by 42 runs, and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by six wickets, with ten balls to spare. KKR’s last completed game was 17 days ago, with their match against RCB rained out without a ball bowled, and they may need to shake off some rust as they look to extend their streak against SRH.
KKR vs SRH : In the Spotlight : Eshan Malinga and KKR’s middle order
Eshan Malinga was picked up for INR 1.2 crore by SRH after a bidding war with Rajasthan Royals (RR). He has stepped up late in the season with ten wickets in six games, having struck at least once in every match he has played. Considering Mohammed Shami’s high price tag of INR 10 crore, Malinga could be a tempting retention option for SRH moving into IPL 2026, with his electric fielding efforts having uplifted the team too.
KKR’s middle-order struggles have been well documented this season. KKR were meant to be among the most destructive of the ten teams this season, but ended up among the worst. Venkatesh Iyer and Ramandeep Singh have had forgettable seasons, while Andre Russell and Rinku Singh have blossomed too late. This led to KKR having the worst run rate (7.8) in overs 7-16 as well as the lowest average runs per wicket (20.8) of all teams. Sunday will be one last chance for them to show they’re still a winning combination come next season.
KKR vs SRH : Vital stats that matters
- Travis Head averages only 2 against Vaibhav Arora, having fallen early to him both times they have faced off. Ishan Kishan struggles against Vaibhav too, averaging 5 and striking at 77 with two dismissals in four innings.
- Jaydev Unadkat has traditionally kept Sunil Narine quiet five innings, 19 runs, three dismissals, average of 6.3, and a strike rate of 86.
- KKR and SRH have had contrasting spin fortunes. KKR have the lowest economy rate (7.4) of all teams while SRH (10) have the highest.
- It has been a disappointing season, by their high standards, for Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma. Last year, Travishek averaged 49.4 as a partnership and had a strike rate of 224. This season, it’s 27.1 and 154, respectively.
- Abhishek (68), Heinrich Klaasen (54) and Narine (49) are three of the top six six – hitters in the IPL over the last two seasons.
- SRH have only a 31% win record against KKR, losing 20 of the 29 contests between the two sides.
- SRH have won each of the four games they’ve scored 200 or more and only 1 of the 8 when they’ve failed to hit 200
- Abhishek Sharma now holds the distinction of being the only batter with successive IPL seasons of scoring 400+ runs at 180+ SR.
KKR vs SRH : Team News for KKR and SRH
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Injuries/Unavailability: No issues have been reported regarding injury or unavailability from the SRH camp.Delhi has aided spinners, so Zeeshan Ansari and Rahul Chahar are potential options in the SRH XI. Otherwise, they could continue with their winning side from the game against RCB.
Shami didn’t play IPL 2024 with an ankle injury. But he has always been great at making comebacks, and SRH were hoping for the same when they signed him for INR 10 crore at the auction. But with only six wickets in nine games, he was left on the sidelines. SRH will have to decide whether Shami, who will be 35 by the time the next IPL comes along, is part of their future plans. If he is, does he play against KKR
Tactics and Matchups: After a slow start, Cummins has rediscovered his mojo. In the last seven games, he has picked 12 wickets at an economy of 7.37. He will hope to land early strikes against the only team without a 50+ opening partnership this season
SRH Probable Playing XI : Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins(c), Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga
Impact Player : Harsh Dubey
Kolkata Knight Riders
Injuries/Unavailability: Rovman Powell and Moeen Ali opted not to come back to India once the season resumed. The former has been replaced by Shivam Shukla .Rovman Powell and Moeen Ali are not available for KKR. Venkatesh could be back in place of Manish Pandey if he has recovered from his hand injury. Luvnith Sisodia, the explosive opener, could also get a debut in place of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, with one eye on IPL 2026.
Tactics and matchups: Varun and Narine have been particularly excellent as a pair outside the Eden Gardens. As a pair, they have 16 wickets from 5 away fixtures while going at a combined economy of 6.03. SRH won a big battle against RCB’s spin twins in their most recent win. Their hopes could hinge on if they can unsettle this KKR duo.
KKR Probable Playing XI : Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana
Impact Player : Vaibhav Arora
KKR vs SRH Fantasy XI : Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Harshal Patel, Pat Cummins, Heinrich Klaasen, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane, Harshit Rana, Eshan Malinga
KKR vs SRH : Probable best players of the Match
Probable Best Batter of the Match : Travis Head
Travis Head could be the best batter in the upcoming game against the Kolkata Knight Riders. With 298 runs in his 12 games, Head might not have had the best of seasons, but he can take the game away from the opposition on any given day. The southpaw will look to make the most of the powerplay and capitalize on the batting conditions in Delhi.
Probable Best Bowler of the Match : Varun Chakravarthy
Varun Chakravarthy could be the best bowler in the upcoming game. With 17 wickets in his last 12 matches, the spinner is currently KKR’s highest-wicket taker this season. His mystery bowling is expected to bamboozle the SRH batters. Notably, he has picked 14 wickets in 12 matches against the Hyderabad-based franchise
KKR vs SRH : Match Prediction
Scenario 1
- Kolkata Knight Riders win the toss and bowl
- PP Score – 65-75
- SRH – 210-220
- Kolkata Knight Riders win the match
Scenario 2
- Sunrisers Hyderabad win the toss and bowl
- PP score – 75-85
- KKR-200-210
- Kolkata Knight Riders win the match
Also Read: RCB vs SRH : Records Galore After SRH Astound RCB