KKR VS SRH
Match Preview
Crestfallen Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will take up the responsibility to spoil the playoff party of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Super Sunday. The 2016 champions are already out of the playoff race for this season's Indian Premier League (IPL) which is being held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Hyderabad-based franchise can dent KKR's play-off chances in match No.49 of the IPL 2021 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Kane Williamson-led SRH side is likely to finish rock-bottom in the league phase of the 14th season. The Orange Army has accumulated only four points from 11 league games this season. The former champions have a solitary win to their name since the tournament resumed in the UAE last month. While Hyderabad are playing for pride, Eoin Morgan's men will hope Williamson & Co. continue their dreadful run which can strengthen Kolkata's chances of securing the qualification berth for the business end of the elite tournament.
Nitish Rana had slammed a match-winning 80 to help KKR register a thrilling 10-run win over SRH in the first phase of the IPL 2021. KKR also have a better head-to-head record as the Morgan-led side has defeated SRH 13 times in the T20 league. Hyderabad are in search of their 8th win against KKR in the IPL. Ex-KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik is four runs short of completing 4,000 runs in the cash-rich league.
Key Players to Watch/Key Stats
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Venkatesh Iyer has been central to KKR’s improvement in phase two of IPL 2021. The left-hander has struck two half-centuries in five matches, with a total of 193 runs at an average of 48.25 and strike rate of 141.91.
He has also taken three wickets in the last two matches, and features in the death overs. Given SRH’s middle order struggles, Iyer could be in the wickets again today.
Shubman Gill averaging less than 20 in IPL 2021 (avg. 19.91). It has been a mixed bag for Gill in phase two of IPL 2021, with two 30+ scores and three below 15.
Gill has a decent record vs SRH, with 170 runs at an average of 35 and strike rate of 112.90. Also, Gill prefers to bat second in IPL, with an average of 37.9 compared to 24.9 batting first.
Rahul Tripathi has shown signs of his best form in phase two (scores of 74*, 45, 9 and 34). He has two half-centuries in six innings vs SRH, including a 29-ball 53 earlier this season.
Nitish Rana was player of the match against SRH earlier in IPL 2021 (80 off 56 balls). Like Tripathi, Rana is in some decent form of late, with scores of 37*, 36* and 31 in his last three matches.
Against SRH, Rana has struck 315 runs in 10 innings at an average of 31.50 and strike rate of 136.36. Rana also has similar stats in Dubai, with 140 runs at an average of 35.00 and strike rate of 144.33.
Sunil Narine has been terrific in the UAE leg (0/20, 1/20, 3/41, 2/18, 1/34). However, Narine has historically struggled against SRH, with just 10 wickets in 17 matches at an average of 44.00 and strike rate of 39.60. Also, Narine strikes every 40 deliveries in five IPL matches at Dubai. Can he turn these numbers around?
Varun Chakravarthy’s UAE leg has followed a certain trend. He has gone wicketless every two matches (3/13, 0/22, 1/22, 0/24 and 2/24). Can he break that trend here? He has two wickets in three matches vs SRH (SR 36), but he enjoys bowling at Dubai, with eight wickets in four matches at an average of 11.13 and strike rate of 12.00.
Probable XI
Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Tim Seifert/Shakib al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Varun Chakaravarthy
Sunrisers Hyderabad:
Wriddhiman Saha hasn’t found the fluency he had in IPL 2020. Could today be the day? He strikes at 139.76 in 15 career knocks vs KKR, at an average of 32.64.
Jason Roy smashed 60 off 42 balls in a player of the match performance two games ago vs RR on this ground. Dubai is a truer surface than Sharjah, so Roy will be looking to play aggressively from the get go.
Kane Williamson has been below par by his standards in the UAE leg. Also, he has a modest record vs KKR, with 197 runs at an average of 28.14 and strike rate of 129.61.
However, Williamson has a fine record at Dubai. He has scored 188 runs in seven innings at an average of 62.67 and strike rate of 124.50.
Jason Holder has taken 3/19 and 3/27 in his last three matches. However, those bowling performances were on the slower pitches of Sharjah. He strikes every 19.83 balls at Dubai (six wickets in five matches).
Rashid Khan has 11 wickets in 11 innings vs KKR (avg. 25.91). Also, Rashid has taken one wicket in each match in the UAE leg.
Also, SRH could look to use Rashid as a pinch hitter. His 35 runs vs KKR come at a strike rate of 269.23.
No bowler has more wickets in SRH-KKR matches than Bhuvneshwar Kumar (20 in 17 matches, avg. 25.35). However, Bhuvi has been in poor form, with just the two wickets in four matches so far in the UAE leg whilst being a little expensive.
Probable XI
Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Priyam Garg/M Pandey , Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma
Stats and Facts
Head-to-head: Matches 20, KKR 13, SRH 7.
KKR have won four of the past five matches vs SRH, including by 10 runs earlier this year.
If Andre Russell is fit, he will have to improve on a poor record vs SRH. In 10 innings, he has scored just 116 runs at an average of 12.89 and strike rate of 148.72.
Eoin Morgan is in horrible form, but KKR and England fans hope today is his day. He has scored 134 runs in five innings vs SRH at an average of 33.50 and strike rate of 157.65.
Dinesh Karthik is five runs away from 4,000 in IPL.
Pitch Report
The average first innings score at Dubai in IPL 2021 is 159.71. The chasing team has had more success in recent matches, with three victories in a row for the team batting second (and four of the last five).
Temporary team here
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