SRHvKKR Preview: Can the defending champions end KKR”s IPL run :- In a blink of an eye, the IPL has reached its business end. It is that tournament where no team or player can afford to feel lax, for little drop in intensity will be enough to take the flight back home.
Sunrisers Hyderabad play Kolkata Kolkata Knight Riders at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Kolkata Knight Riders will be saying “How the hell we are at Bangalore? We should have been at Mumbai on Tuesday night”. Halfway through the tournament, qKKR looked favorites to finish in top 2.
It was only in the second half of the tournament that they stumbled at dropped crucial points which forced them to finish 4th and they”ll be seriously ruing that.
Sunrisers on the other hand will be happy that they have qualified for playoffs. The orange army led by DW faced 2 severe blows ahead of playoffs.
Senior pro Nehraji was ruled out of IPL with a hamstring injury while cloud hangs over Yuvraj”s participation in playoffs as he has not fully recovered from the finger injury he sustained against Mumbai Indians.
Players to watch out for:
Sunil Narine: The 28 year-old Trinidadian has been a batsman more than a bowler this season. He has been providing belligerent starts to KKR this season. It will be interesting to see whether Gambhir continues to open with Narine in an all important game.
Mohammad Siraj: The fast bowler from Hyderabad has been a revolution for SRH. In Nehra”s absence onus will be on him to deliver the goods with the ball for SRH.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad are likely to go with the same XI they played in Kanpur. The dynamic duo of Warner and Dhawan at the top followed by a strong middle order of Henriques, Vijay Shankar, Nabi, Hooda Naman Ojha.
Yuvraj will make it subject to fitness. They are likely to go with Bhuvi, Kaul and Siraj as three seamers while Rashid Khan will take care of spin department.
Probable XI – Warner (C), Dhawan, Henriques, Yuvraj/Hooda, Vijay Shankar, Nabi, Naman Ojha, Bhuvneshwar, Rashid Khan, Kaul, Siraj.
Kolkata Knight Riders
KKR are likely to field the same XI as they played in their last game vs Mumbai except Boult will be out and Woakes will take his place. Narine and Lynn at the top.
The middle order is rock solid compromising of Gambhir, Uthappa, Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Grandhomme. Considering the slow pitch at Bangalore, Piyush might come in for Ankit Singh Rajpoot.
Probable XI – Narine, Lynn, Gambhir, Uthappa, Pandey, Y Pathan, Grandhomme, Woakes, Kuldeep, Piyush, Umesh.
– by Atharva Apte