The Sunrisers Hyderabad led by David Warner takes on the Kolkata Knight Riders side led by the newly appointed skipper Eoin Morgan at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Talking about both the teams they have fared quite similar to each other in this edition of the Indian Premier League. Especially Kolkata Knight Riders who have been in the news since last few days as their skipper Dinesh Karthik quit the captaincy midway through the season allowing England’s World Cup-winning skipper Eoin Morgan take over.
On the other hand, Sunrisers Hyderabad have looked very dodgy this season. Obviously with the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar the Sunrisers Hyderabad have been hit quite badly this season. Also with the absence of a known finisher in their side, they’re struggling to finish off games in the end stages of the match. Which is why Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to change a few strategies going ahead in the match against Kolkata Knight Riders.
With both sides looking to get a win under their belt, Let’s expect a firecracker of a game as we take a look at five key players to watch out for when Sunrisers Hyderabad lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders.
Let’s take a look at five key players to watch out for when Sunrisers Hyderabad lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders:
1. Shubman Gill
The young gun Shubman Gill has been firing all shots this season with his bat as he’s the highest run-scorer for the Kolkata Knight Riders side this season. After trusting him to open alongside Sunil Narine this season, Shubman Gill has proved his mantle with what he’s capable of.
Off late he hasn’t looked in good touch since the last 2-3 games but a player like Shubman Gill can never be counted out as we should expect the young man to score a lot many runs going forward in this season. With his new batting partner Rahul Tripathi looking in great touch, let’s just expect a stellar partnership from the young duo playing for KKR this season.
2. Jonny Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow of England has looked in superb touch this season in the IPL. He has notched up three fifties with a high score of 97 so far and has looked a dangerous threat to the opposition every time he has come out to bat.
The Englishman should eventually be one of those high scorers for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the season with the form he is in. As he himself and David Warner have been complimenting each other pretty well since last season.
3. T Natarajan
The fast bowler from Tamil Nadu who had been a sensation in the Tamil Nadu Premier League playing for the Dindigul Dragons has been a revelation for the Sunrisers Hyderabad side this year. In the absence of Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, he has managed to bowl through the penultimate death overs for the Sunrisers Hyderabad side.
Also Read: MS Dhoni Smacks A 102 Metre Six Off T Natarajan
This year he also holds the record for executing the most number of yorkers in this season as he’s an edge above Dwayne Bravo as of now. With Natarajan at his absolute best, the Sunrisers Hyderabad must look to utilise him to his very best.
4. Andre Russell
Dr Dre or Andre Russell who is said to be the most destructive batsmen in the history of T20 cricket hasn’t really hit the long ball that well this season. Russell hasn’t managed to finish off a single game for his franchise this season leaving all the pressure on skipper Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik.
But as they say, Andre Russell can explode and destroy literally any bowling attack in the World since that’s what the man from the Caribbean is known for. Though he hasn’t managed to win any games for his side this season, Let’s just expect the unexpected from Andre Russell very soon going forward.
5. Rashid Khan
The leg spinner from Afghanistan is always one of those players who have constantly performed for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Ever since he made his debut for the side in 2017 he has consistently put up good shows for the Orange Army.
This year too Rashid Khan has been the pick of the wickets as in the 8 matches he has played for Sunrisers Hyderabad this season he has managed to pick 10 wickets. Which also makes him one of the leading wicket-takers of his side in the tournament.