The 2026 edition of the prestigious T20 franchise league, the Indian Premier League (IPL), is underway in the Indian subcontinent and all of the ten teams have played a match each. In the 6th game of IPL 2026, the three-time champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are set to host former champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
While their head-to-head record portrays the dominance of KKR, who have won 20 games out of the 30 played between them, one cannot be wary of the Orange Army, which boasts an explosive batting lineup including the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen and a few others. Apart from them, there are also a few unknown players who can help their respective sides in the upcoming game; let’s take a look below.
3 Unknown players who could be match-winners in KKR vs SRH
Anukul Roy
Anukul Roy, who serves as an all-rounder, has played 13 matches so far since his debut in IPL 2019 with Mumbai Indians (MI). But after his limited appearance for the MI, he was signed by KKR in the 2022 auction for INR 20 Lakh and has been in it since then. Roy, who had a decent outing in KKR’s campaign opener against MI, is coming after a standout Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign, where he was the third-highest run-scorer, amassing 303 runs in 10 innings. His all-round skill adds value to the KKR lineup.
Blessing Muzarabani
The Zimbabwean, who was signed by KKR as Mustafizur Rahman’s replacement, made his IPL debut in KKR’s 6-wicket defeat against MI in IPL 2026. Although he had a forgettable day with the ball, going wicketless in his three overs at an economy of 11.30, he has the capability to turn the game in his team’s favour on a given day with his steep bounce and awkward angles. Moreover, Muzarabani had a great T20 World Cup 2026, where he picked up 13 wickets in 6 matches at an economy of 7.89 and was the leading wicket-taker for his national side.
Aniket Verma
The 24-year-old right-handed batter from Uttar Pradesh has proved his point since his debut with SRH in IPL 2025. While the franchise vouched for him and retained him for IPL 2026, especially after his brilliant Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign in 2025. Verma, who played 14 matches and scored 236 runs at a strike rate of 166.20 in IPL 2025, continued to prove himself as he scored a 18-ball 43 in SRH’s match against RCB in IPL 2026, striking at the rate of 238.89. With a lot of matches ahead, he is sure to help SRH, carrying on his power-hitting lower down the order.
IPL 2026: KKR vs SRH squads
KKR: Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Finn Allen, Tejasvi Singh, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Rovman Powell, Anukul Roy, Cameron Green, Sarthak Ranjan, Daksh Kamra, Rachin Ravindra, Ramandeep Singh, Sunil Narine, Blessing Muzarabani, Vaibhav Arora, Matheesha Pathirana, Kartik Tyagi, Prashant Solanki, Saurabh Dubey, Navdeep Saini, Umran Malik, Varun Chakaravarthy.
SRH: Ishan Kishan, Aniket Verma, Smaran Ravichandran, Salil Arora, Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head, Harshal Patel, Kamindu Mendis, Harsh Dubey, Brydon Carse, Shivang Kumar, Krians Fuletra, Liam Livingstone, David Payne, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins, Zeeshan Ansari, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Onkar Tarmale, Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Shivam Mavi.
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