The Sunday double-header will start off with the Sunrisers Hyderabad taking on the Kolkata Knight Riders for the second time this season. The 35th match of the Indian Premier League 2020 is scheduled to take place at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
The previous clash of SRH with the Chennai Super Kings saw SRH on the losing side by a difference of 20 runs. Winning the toss, Men in Yellow chose to bat first and with the well played forties from the bat of Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu, CSK notched up a good total of 167 on the board. SRH were reduced to 59 for the loss of 3 wickets in the first 10 overs. With more than 100 runs needed in the 10 overs. The slowness of pitch proved too much for the 2016 champions.
On the other hand, KKR were crushed by the Mumbai Indians by a margin of 8 wickets as once again the batting collapse of KKR meant they could only put up a total of 148 on the board. The brilliance of the proteas captain Quinton de Kock combined with clinical innings by the captain- Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya handed the defending champions their sixth win of the season.
The previous encounter between the two sides saw the Kolkata side win the match by the cushion of seven wickets. Though, the team now seems to be struggling to find their rhythm recently, things would not be as easy for Eoin Morgan and Company. The last face-off saw SRH win the toss and elected to bat first. Though they were only able to reach of total of 142 on the board and KKR with the help of a clinical 70 of 62 balls, ended up on the winning side with two overs and seven wickets to spare.
Both Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers will be desperate for a win as they are placed in a vulnerable 4th and 5th position in the points table.
Can KKR bounce back to make a climb in the points table? Or will David Warner and Co. make things complicated for the Kolkata team?
Head to Head
Matches Played- 18, SRH- 7, KKR- 11, N/R- 0
Team News
Sunrisers Hyderabad have not reported any injuries from their side. While the team has found a well balanced batting line-up. The no.6 position has been a concern for the team and management. With Vijay Shankar once again failing to contribute for the team. The young Abishek Sharma could make his return to his side.
KKR on the other side have now played two matches without their key player Sunil Narine as the West Indian was warned for suspect action and have ended up on the losing side on both occasions. The management will be hoping he is ready for this encounter as a loss here will make things really tough for the Kolkata team. The return of Narine would mean the Australian spinner Chris Green will have to make way.
Pitch and Conditions
The pitch in Abu Dhabi has been more in favor of the bowlers and is likely to continue the same way as the pitch has been showing signs of slowing down. As seen in the last few matches, any score of 160 plus seems to put the chasing team in the spot of bother. The due will have no part to play this encounter as the fixture is scheduled to take place during the day.
The conditions are once again on the clear side. With the temperatures and humidity on the lower side this week, the temperature is said to be hovering in the 29-32 degree range. While the humidity is expected to reach 51% at most.
Probable Playing Xl
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH): David Warner (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Priyam Garg, Vijay Shankar/Abishek Sharma, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Rahul Tripathi, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Andre Russell, Chris Green/Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy, Prasidh Krishna
Key Battles
David Warner (SRH) vs Pat Cummins (KKR)
The SRH captain is undoubtedly one of the best batsmen in the IPL and also holds the record for the most runs by a foreign player. Though the Australian had a very shaky start to his season, the pocket dynamite has bounced back well to scoring ways and now is placed 6th in the list of highest run-scorers this season with 284 runs in the 8 matches played so far this season.
KKR will know the threat he possesses as he was the main reason behind the team’s immense success in the 2016 IPL. In order to make a comeback after the back to back losses, Eoin Morgan and Co. will have to dismiss the opener as quickly as possible and best person for the job would be another fellow Australian- Pat Cummins. He proved his worth with his batting skills by scoring a brilliant 53 against the MI. He is yet to make an impact with the ball.
Warner is 10 short of the 5000- run mark in IPL. Can Pat Cummins delay his milestone achievement?
Shubman Gill (KKR) vs Sandeep Sharma (SRH)
The youngster Shubman Gill has been creating a wave every time he comes onto bat. He is surely a player of the future for Team India. The Right-hander seldom got company at the top but has been doing a wonderful job in anchoring the innings and has already played some match-winning knocks this season. With 275 runs from 8 matches, he is placed 8th in the list of players with most runs in this season of the IPL.
Sandeep Sharma is one of most experienced bowlers in the IPL and he surely does know how to go about the proceedings. Though, the pacer has been having an in and out season, he has been hitting the timber quite a few times in the last few games. He is someone who could trouble the KKR opener.
Sandeep Sharma is one wicket away from reaching the 100- wickets milestone in IPL. Can the KKR opener be his 100th wicket?
Prediction
Both the teams look well balanced. Though, KKR have the bigger names- Andre Russell and Sunil Narine. Though both of them have failed to make any significant contributions to the team so far this season. SRH on the other side have been facing issues with their middle-order. The inclusion of Kane Williamson did do the trick for a few games but the kiwis captain has failed to impress later on.
The pitch in Abu Dhabi will definitely suit the spinners and given SRH have Rashid Khan in their side, he could make a huge difference in this encounter. With Sunil Narine still in doubt for this clash, the Hyderabad team seems to have a slight edge in this match.
The KKR will have to get past the top four of the SRH. Though it would not be an easy job given the top order of SRH has been in great touch. The batting of KKR seems to be struggling as well in the last two matches as well.
Cricwizz predicts Sunrisers Hyderabad to win the match
