Last Updated on 2 months by Charbel Coorey

The 15th match of IPL 2025 sees last year’s finalists go head-to-head. Both will be seeking their best form after an indifferent start to the season, with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) each losing two of their first three games.

Worryingly, both teams have been smashed in their two defeats. KKR lost heavily to RCB and MI, with their batting at the Wankhede leaving a lot to be desired. SRH were beaten convincingly by LSG and DC after smashing 286 in their opening game against RR.

KKR will be looking for a big response from the likes of Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, and Andre Russell. Quinton de Kock, Ajinkya Rahane, and Angrish Raghuvanshi have shown glimpses of their best this season. A batting and bowling performance as a unit will be key against SRH’s strong lineup.

That being said, SRH are also searching for their best cricket. Abhishek Sharma has not got going yet, and Ishan Kishan has missed out twice since his hundred against RR. With Aniket Verma playing so well in the middle order, a strong platform by the top order can hold SRH in good stead.

However, SRH need more from their bowling attack, who have travelled so far in IPL 2025. Mohammed Shami is key upfront, who can set things up for Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel and the impressive Zeeshan Ansari to do their thing.

In this article, we will look at the possible playing XIIs, Eden Gardens Kolkata pitch report, fantasy cricket tips and Dream11 Prediction for the 15th match of IPL 2025.

IPL 2025 15th Match: KKR vs SRH Possible Playing XIIs

KKR brought in Manish Pandey as their impact player against MI as they lost regular wickets batting first. If all goes to plan, Vaibhav Arora is likely to be the impact player here.

Kolkata Knight Riders: 1. Sunil Narine (OS), 2. Quinton de Kock (OS, wk), 3. Ajinkya Rahane (c), 4. Venkatesh Iyer, 5. Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 6. Rinku Singh, 7. Andre Russell (OS), 8. Ramandeep Singh, 9. Harshit Rana, 10. Spencer Johnson (OS), 11. Varun Chakravarthy, 12. Vaibhav Arora

SRH will have a call to make between Adam Zampa and Zeeshan Ansri. That decision will influence whether Simarjeet Singh or Wiaan Mulder plays.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1. Travis Head (OS), 2. Abhishek Sharma, 3. Ishan Kishan, 4. Nitish Kumar Reddy, 5. Heinrich Klaasen (OS, wk), 6. Aniket Verma, 7. Abhinav Manohar, 8. Pat Cummins (OS, c), 9. Wiaan Mulder/Adam Zampa (OS), 10. Harshal Patel, 11. Mohammed Shami, 12. Simarjeet Singh/Zeeshan Ansari

Eden Gardens Kolkata Pitch Report and Weather

The Eden Gardens track has been in the news in the past week. After KKR were beaten easily by RCB in the tournament opener, Ajinkya Rahane called for slower pitches that could aid the spinners. According to ESPNcricinfo, the pitches prepared for this game have very little grass on them.

The average first innings score on this ground last season was 197.86 at a run rate of 10.18. The chasing team won four of the seven games.

A very hot evening is forecast with a top of around 33 degrees at 7:30pm local time. Dew is likely in the second innings.

Fantasy Cricket Tips for KKR vs SRH – Top Picks/Key Players to Watch

Top wicket-keeper picks:

• Quinton de Kock can make a big score if he gets through the Shami test. He hit 97* two games ago and has scored 69 runs in 36 balls (one wicket) in all T20s against Pat Cummins and 85 runs off 60 balls (no wickets) in all T20s against Harshal Patel.
• Since the start of 2023, Heinrich Klaasen has scored 163 runs against KKR at an average of 40.75 and strike rate of 175.27. Klaasen has struck 51 off 34 (one wicket) vs Narine and 35 off 20 (one wicket) vs Varun Chakravarthy in the IPL.

Key batter picks:

• Travis Head scored two ducks against KKR last season. He was dismissed by Mitchell Starc and Vaibhav Arora. However, Head has looked in good form this season without the massive score yet, with 136 runs at an average of 45.33 and strike rate of 191.54 so far. He is still a genuine Dream11 captaincy option.
• Ajinkya Rahane has looked in good form this season, hitting 85 runs at a strike rate of 160.37 so far. Against Mohammed Shami, Rahane has hammered 86 runs off 50 balls without dismissal.

Top all-rounder picks:

• Abhishek Sharma averages just 16.50 in nine matches against KKR. However, he averages 40.60 with a strike rate of 159.84 in six T20s at Eden Gardens. We are waiting for him to fire, and this could be the game he gets going.

Key bowler picks:

• Mohammed Shami has good head-to-head numbers against the KKR openers. He has dismissed Quinton de Kock three times in 36 balls (54 runs) and Sunil Narine once in six balls (0 runs).
• Expect Varun Chakravarthy to bowl early which can bring wicket-taking opportunities. He dismissed Travis Head in the recent Champions Trophy semi-final. Also, Chakravarthy has dismissed Heinrich Klaasen three times in 37 balls in all T20s, although Klaasen has hit 69 runs.

Other Players to Consider for your Fantasy Cricket Teams

• Sunil Narine is always worth considering for Dream11, but he has poor head-to-head numbers against SRH. He averages 9.64 with the bat and has taken 14 wickets in 25 matches at an average of 44.86.
• Angrish Raghuvanshi has looked in really good touch without making the big score yet. The right-hander has scored 30, 22* and 26 so far in IPL 2025. Worth a pick.
• Harshal Patel will be key at the death. His slower balls can come in handy if the Eden Gardens pitch is on the slower side. He has dismissed Andre Russell twice in 26 balls (35 runs).
• Ishan Kishan vs KKR: 9 inns, 257 runs, avg. 28.56, SR 154.82.
• Andre Russell bowled for the first time this season against MI. This was because KKR needed to bring Pandey in as impact player. Also, Russell has scored just 586 runs in all T20s at an average of 18.9 since the end of IPL 2024.

Other Stats and Important Matchups

• Head-to-head: Matches 28, KKR 19, SRH 9.
• SRH win 80% of their matches when both Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma get through the powerplay. This percentage drops to 17% when they are both dismissed.
• Andre Russell has smashed 99 off 40 balls against Mohammed Shami in the IPL (two wickets).
• Venkatesh Iyer vs SRH: 8 inns, 148 runs, avg. 24.67, SR 138.32.
• Aniket Verma has smashed 36 (13) and 74 (41) in his past two matches. He is worth a pick in Dream11 if SRH bat first.

IPL 2025 15th Match: KKR vs SRH Dream11 Prediction

Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article, as well as your own instincts, to create your teams.

Option 1:

Option 2:

IPL 2025 15th Match: KKR vs SRH Match Prediction – Who will win?

This result could depend on how well KKR bowl in the powerplay. If Head and Abhishek (or at least one) get going, SRH will be on track to win. SRH is our pick to win this match.