Kolkata Knight Riders, with a hattrick of wins in their kitty, will be facing an equally in-form Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 37th match of the Indian Premier League at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.
The Gambhir-led side is currently marching ahead with great confidence, having won seven out of the nine matches they have featured in this season so far. They would want to continue with the winning streak and solidify their position on the top of the points table.
Previous encounter:
The two sides have played 10 matches in the past with KKR maintaining an upper hand with seven wins in those matches.
However, as far as the previous encounter is concerned, SRH has the edge. The two sides last met during the tense eliminator stage of the 2016 season. SRH, led by their bowling attack, deflated the opposition completely by 22 runs and advance ahead.
Chasing a modest target of 161, KKR experienced a batting slump which saw them get restricted for just 140/8 in 20 overs.
The decision to bowl first by Gambhir seemed perfect initially, as SRH openers –Dhawan and Warner – lost their wickets cheaply. The bowling side, however, lost their early advantage, as Moises Henriques and Yuvraj Singh got in the rescue act and laid the platform for their team to set a defendable target. KKR’s batting was let down in the second innings and the chase could never take off. The wickets fell regularly with only Manish Pandey managing to fight back a little.
Recent Form:
SRH: W W L A W (A- The match against RCB was abandoned)
KKR: W L W W W
Talking Points:
The visitors have a lot of positives to be motivated ahead of Sunday’s game. The bowling department, the backbone of the unit, has been functioning well. The batting department has seen Robin Uthappa maintain his run-scoring form. There are a few chinks in the armour but overall everything seems fine.
Manish Pandey has been slightly fading slowly after a good start but can achieve his rhythm back quickly. There will be a debate over Sunil Narine’s batting position. The excitement surrounding his new role as the opener has faded away after back to back failures. It will be interesting to see how long Gautam will continue experimenting with him.
KKR made two changes in the previous match. Australian fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile replaced leg-spinner. Piyush Chawla, while Sheldon Jackson swapped places with Darren Bravo. The move worked very well.
Coulter-Nile responded with a spell of 3/34. The runs column may look bit uninspiring and place on point against the Aussies while debating for a place for Chawla. But, Coulter-Nile’s scalp that day included the explosive trio Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Chris Morris.
This wicket taking ability combined with the traditional seamer-friendly conditions at Hyderabad may convince Gambhir to retain the Australian bowler. Sheldon Jackson was left untested and would likely get another chance.
Predicted XI
Although no changes are anticipated, Gautam Gambhir may rest Colin de Grandhomme for Shakib al Hasan. This may happen only if he seek an extra spin option to support Kuldeep Yadav. Umesh Yadav may also get another chance to prove his worth. The rest of the squad will remain the same despite the skipper showing tendency to fiddle with the winning combination as per the needs.
Here is the predicted XI: Sunil Narine, Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Sheldon Jackson, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib al Hasan, Chris Woakes, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Umesh Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav.