Under the new leadership of Eoin Morgan, Kolkata Knightriders will be aiming to win back the championship after 6 years. They will begin their quest for the title against Sunrisers Hyderabad, who has been a juggernaut of a team in recent years. The match is scheduled to take place in Chennai, this Sunday.
The Kolkata-based team currently holds all the bragging rights after doing a double over the Sunrisers in the last season, winning the first match comfortably with two overs to spare. The second match was much evenly contested with victory coming through Lockie Ferguson’s exceptional bowling in the super over, leaving the team needing just 3 runs to win.
Although the Hyderabad franchise boasts a more well-rounded side filled with game-changing superstars, KKR has proved their no-slouch and made life difficult for the Sunrisers. Warner and Co will be eager to avenge the defeats of last season and get their title run started.
Will the quality of Sunrisers Hyderabad shine through? Or Kolkata Knightriders show they still got the number on the Hyderabad franchise.
Match Toss Time: 19:00 Local (13:30 GMT)
Match Start Time: 19:30 Local (14:00 GMT)
Match Venue: MA Chidambaram, Chennai
Pro-Tip
In the previous match in Chennai, Both leg spinners of Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore combined to give 84 runs off 8 overs. The off-spinners fared much better with Krunal Pandya and Washington Sundar claiming wickets and keeping the runs down.
Though it is to be seen Rashid Khan of Sunrisers who bowls quicker through the air can find much success on this pitch.
Head to Head
Matches Played: 19, SRH: 7, KKR: 12
Weather Conditions
Ideal conditions for cricket as clear skies are expected throughout the course of the day. With temperatures expected to be hovering around 28 - 33 degrees celsius and humidity at its peak is likely to touch the 68% mark.
Pitch
Although a spin-friendly track in recent times, the inaugural match of the IPL between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore has shown it’s not completely a bowler-friendly surface. With turn available for the spinners, the pacers took much of the wickets on offer. There are enough runs to be made on this track as well, provided batsman take their time to adjust to the pace of the pitch.
Team News
Sunrisers will be bolstered with the return of Bhuveneshwar Kumar, who they severely missed in the last edition of IPL. The Indian senior paceman has been in exceptional form in the white-ball formats of the India England series. They have also strengthened their top order further with the addition of Jason Roy but will struggle to find game time with the in-form Bairstow ahead of him.
Kolkata Knightriders too look to have a clean bill of health, with all players available for selection. The management will be hoping Andre Russell hits his explosive form of yesteryears after failing in the last edition. Another flopped West Indian all eyes will be on Sunil Narine, who will have a major role to play on these spin-friendly tracks.
Probable Playing XI
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH): David Warner (C), Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Vijay Shankar, Priyam Garg, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma
Kolkata Knightriders (KKR): Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (C) Dinesh Karthik, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy
Must-Picks
Coming off an excellent showing in the International game, Bhuveneshwar Kumar will look to carry his hot form into the IPL and must be a sure pick in your fantasy team. Showing excellent consistency over the years David Warner, T20 No2 bowler Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill are other good choices.
SRH vs KKR Fantasy team
Captain and Vice-Captain Picks
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