Match eight in IPL 2020 will see Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad face off against each other at the Shaikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Both teams have played one game each so far in the season and have made a losing start to their respective IPL campaigns. While Sunrisers lost to RCB, KKR lost to Mumbai Indians. Thus the Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad contest will see one of these teams get their first win of the season.
Team Kolkata Knight Riders
Starting first with the Kolkata Knight Riders. They were absolutely outplayed by their opposition Mumbai Indians in the first game. Rohit Sharma played a top class innings and batted Kolkata out of the game. Pat Cummins was very expensive in his first outing for KKR on his comeback which did not serve well to his team. Plus KKR’s spin twins Kuldeep Yadav and Sunil Narine were not able to put the breaks on the scoring in the middle-overs. Another bad game and memories of the last campaign could well start to haunt Kuldeep. While Shivam Mavi was impressive, Sandeep Warrier was expensive from the other end. KKR have taken the least wickets in the IPL in the last couple of seasons and they found it tough to dismiss the opposition batsmen this season as well.
With the bat, KKR had lot to chase and they were on the back foot right from the start. The much-debated middle-order of KKR failed big time while Andre Russell’s batting position again becoming the talking point. KKR looked rusty with their overall game in their first outing against MI. While in the Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad contest, they should be absolutely charged up knowing the areas they need to work on.
Also Read: IPL 2020: Match 8- Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad- Fantasy Tips
Team Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad started off with a loss in their first game as well. They also lost Mitchell marsh due to injury, who now has been ruled out of the season. SRH’s dependence on the David Warner-Jonny Bairstow pair was visible from the first game itself. Sunrisers collapsed badly after Bairstow’s dismissal in the first game. They will need someone to stand up in the middle order and take responsibility of batting through the 20 overs. This is where Kane Williamson’s inclusion becomes important. However, SRH in the past have shown a tendency to include Afghan all-rounder Mohammed Nabi though they have a couple more options in Fabian Allen and Williamson.
On the bowling front, SRH needs Rashid Khan to have a good game against KKR. He went wicketless against RCB, as Kohli and co negated his threat properly. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma bowled consistently and together with Rashid becomes a threatening trio.
Middle-Order Tussell Between KKR and SRH
One of the underlying battles between the two teams is within the middle-order. Both teams have had problems with identifying the right personnel in their middle-order in their first game. While KKR have an experienced middle-order, SRH’s is a little weak given that their is a big name absent in the line-up. Both teams know that it was their batting that let them down more than their bowling in their respective first game. In the second match, therefore, both team would like to address that aspect of their game.
Head to Head: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
In 17 matches played between these two teams, Kolkata have a slight advantage over their opponents. They have won 10 games while SRH have won 7. However, with the start of a new season, there is nothing between the two teams. Both can topple each other if its their day. In the last five meetings between the two teams, SRH have won three, KKR just two. One of SRH’s three wins was the 2018 Eliminator in Kolkata.
Weather And Pitch Conditions -Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
Weather as always in the desert will be hot and humid. Dew will continue to be a decisive factor in this ground. Captain winning the toss will definitely choose to bowl first. There will be turn and bounce available on this wicket. However, if the match between KKR and Mumbai was anything to go by, we can expect another high-scoring contest. Even though with big boundaries, the bowlers will be tested.
Team News – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
KKR will look to play the same XI despite a loss in their first game. He has shown a lot of confidence on Pat Cummins and the young Indian quicks and will hope they rise up to the occasion. As per the middle-order, they know they need to have a good game. Just may be Nikhil Naik might be replaced by Rinku Singh to get in another left-hander in the line-up.
Mitchell Marsh’s injury has opened up an option for SRH to include Mohammed Nabi in the playing XI. He was the preferred choice over Marsh in the first game as well. Jason Holder, who has been roped in as Marsh’s cover is unlikely to play this game for the Sunrisers.
Also Read: IPL 2020: Match 6, Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kings XI Punjab – 5 Talking Points
Squads
Kolkata Knight Riders
Dinesh Karthik (C/WK), Andre Russell, Harry Gurney, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Siddhesh Lad, Sunil Narine, Chris Green, Eoin Morgan, M Siddharth, Nikhil Naik, Praveen Tambe, Pat Cummins, Rahul Tripathi, Tom Banton, Varun Chakravarthy.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
David Warner (C) Abhishek Sharma, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Billy Stanlake, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Shreevats Goswami, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha, Abdul Samad, Fabian Allen, Mitchell Marsh, Priyam Garg, Sandeep Bavanaka, Sanjay Yadav, Virat Singh.
