Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will play Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in match 15 of the IPL 2026 season. This game starts at 7:30 PM IST on April 9, 2026, at the Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata. KKR currently holds the eighth spot on the points table with 0 wins from three games.
Meanwhile, LSG holds the seventh place with one win and one loss from two matches. In their previous match, the Giants won against Sunrisers Hyderabad by 5 wickets. On the other hand, Kolkata seeks their first victory of IPL 2026 after a recent match against Punjab Kings abandoned due to rain at Eden Gardens.
Eden Gardens Pitch Report
The pitch report for Eden Gardens indicates a surface that favors batters. The average first innings score at this ground is approximately 152 runs, while the second innings average is 138 runs. However, some recent reports suggest the surface is even more batting-friendly, with average scores reaching as high as 209 runs.
Fast bowlers have found more success than spinners at this venue recently. In the last five matches, pacers took 46 wickets, whereas spinners took only 21 wickets. Additionally, the dew factor usually plays a massive role in evening games. Dew makes the ball slippery, which makes bowling and fielding difficult in the second innings. Because of this, the team winning the toss might choose to bowl first to take advantage of better conditions later in the night.
Weather Conditions in Kolkata
The weather conditions in Kolkata will remain warm and humid on April 9, according to the forecast. The temperature will likely range between 22 and 30 degrees Celsius. Even though KKR’s previous game was affected by rain, there is no rain impact expected for this match against Lucknow Giants. Humidity levels are expected to be high at around 74% to 82%. These conditions will likely increase the amount of dew on the grass as the match progresses in the second innings.
KKR vs LSG Head-to-Head Stats
Lucknow Super Giants hold a strong record against Kolkata Knight Riders since joining the league. The two teams have played 6 matches against each other. Lucknow won 4 matches, while Kolkata won only 2 matches.
History shows that games between these two sides are often very close. Specifically, all three of Lucknow’s early victories against KKR were decided by 4 runs or fewer. In 2025, LSG defeated KKR by exactly 4 runs at this same venue. During that game, Nicholas Pooran and Mitchell Marsh powered Lucknow to a massive total of 238 runs. Therefore, fans should expect another high-scoring and tight finish on Thursday.
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Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted Starting XI
| Openers | Ajinkya Rahane (c), Finn Allen |
| Middle Order | Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh |
| All Rounders | Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine |
| Bowlers | Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Blessing Muzarabani |
Kolkata will have a similar lineup, though they are missing key players like Starc and Shreyas Iyer. Ajinkya Rahane will likely lead the team and open the batting with Finn Allen. Finn Allen is a player to watch because he has a massive strike rate of 229 this season. Meanwhile, Cameron Green needs to improve his form, as he has only scored 24 runs in three games.
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Lucknow Super Giants Predicted Starting XI
| Openers | Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh |
| Middle Order | Rishabh Pant (c) (wk), Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad |
| All Rounders | Ayush Badoni, Manimaran Siddharth |
| Bowlers | Avesh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Prince Yadav |
Lucknow likely feels confident with their current squad after their recent victory. Rishabh Pant will captain the side and handle wicket-keeping duties. Nicholas Pooran is a major threat to KKR because he has won the Player of the Match award in their last two meetings. He scores quickly and enjoys playing at Eden Gardens.
KKR vs LSG Final Match Prediction
Lucknow Super Giants are expected to win this match against KKR. They have a superior head-to-head record against the Knights. LSG has won 66% of their matches against KKR in IPL history. While Kolkata’s bowling unit has struggled to take wickets and defend totals, Lucknow has a better bowling form this season.
However, if Kolkata wins the toss and choose to bat first, they might set a target of about 200 runs that could be hard for LSG to chase. The batting-friendly nature of Eden Gardens gives Finn Allen and Rinku Singh a chance to post a huge score. Despite this, Lucknow’s balanced attack, led by Mohammed Shami, makes them the favorites to secure the two points.
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