The second match of the 12th season of the Indian Premier League will be played between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Both these teams will be looking to get off to a good start in the season. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is going to lead the Orange Army as Kane Williamson is out with a shoulder injury. We bring you the Pitch Report.
Meanwhile, both these teams had qualified for the playoff stages in the previous season. Thus, both of them will look to go all the way in the season.
Both teams will like to draw first blood.
On the other hand, there is always help for the fast bowlers on Eden Gardens pitch. In fact, the spinners will also come into action as there are cracks in the surface. The average first innings score at this venue is 175 and it should be a par score according to Michael Clarke.
The former Australian skipper said while talking in the Pitch Report, “This wicket is a bit two-paced and spin will play a big part. The average first innings average score at Eden Gardens is 175 and that would be a good score”.
Photo by: Deepak Malik /SPORTZPICS for BCCI
Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad were the runners-up of the previous season of the Indian Premier League. Kolkata Knight Riders had also qualified for the playoff stages. However, they were knocked out by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the second qualifier.
Consequently, both the teams will like to draw first blood in the tournament. Meanwhile, former Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner is also back in the playing XI. Furthermore, Jonny Bairstow is given the wicketkeeping gloves.
On the other hand, Dinesh Karthik had led with aplomb in the previous season. This was the first time when Karthik had led an IPL team and he was able to add the finishing touches for his team.