KKR vs SRH IPL 2023 Match Preview
(Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad)
Nitish Rana's Team On A Roll, can They Improve Their Points Table Position?
KKR - Nitish Rana's team achieved a surprising victory, with Rinku Singh's impressive performance leading them to a 3-wicket win against Gujarat Titans. This remarkable win will remain in the memory of fans for years to come. After securing two consecutive victories, the team is feeling confident and will be cheered on by a packed stadium. Nitish Rana will aim to capitalize on this momentum and improve their position on the points table.
In order to build a strong partnership, Rahmanullah Gurbaz needs to play well at the top alongside N Jagadeesan. Venkatesh Iyer played an excellent innings against the Titans and needs to continue scoring alongside Rana. Rinku Singh will strive to replicate his previous performance and add quick runs down the order with Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Shradul Thakur. The bowling attack suffered in the previous game and requires better spells with the new ball from Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur. Key bowlers, such as Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy, need to perform well, and Suyash Sharma must maintain a tight grip on the scoring rate alongside Lockie Ferguson.
SRH - Aiden Markram's team bounced back from two consecutive losses and finally found their form in the previous game against the Punjab Kings. They were impressive in both batting and bowling, securing a comfortable 8-wicket win. However, they face a team in red-hot form and will need a special performance to win at the notoriously tough Eden Gardens. Markram will rely on his batsmen to step up and put up a spirited show.
The team has had the highest opening wicket stand of 27 runs in all three games so far. Mayank Agarwal and Harry Brook need to continue to score runs at the top of the order, while Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, and Heinrich Klaasen will be responsible for adding runs in the middle order. Washington Sundar and Marco Jansen will have to provide some big hits in the lower middle order. Meanwhile, the bowlers must be on top of their game, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Marco Jansen expected to take early wickets, and Mayank Markande, T Natarajan, Umran Malik, and Washington Sundar keeping the pressure on the opposition batsmen.
Venue
The Eden Gardens, Kolkata is favorable for the batsmen, and it's anticipated that a high-scoring match is in store, as seen in the previous KKR vs RCB match.
The pitch is even and favors batsmen to execute their shots effectively. During the initial overs of the match, fast bowlers can extract some assistance from the surface. Moreover, the spinners can exploit the deep boundaries to their advantage by varying their speed and length.
Favours
- In the early overs of the game, the pitch can be good for batsmen and pace bowlers at early stage of game. But In the later stages of the game, the pitch at tends to help spinners.
Post TOSS
- The side winning the toss will opt to bowl first.
Average 1st Inning score
Average 1st innings score : 195 runs.
Team News
The Knight Riders are still in search of a stable opening combination, as Rahmanullah Gurbaz has had a different partner for each of the three games played so far. With the arrival of Jason Roy and Litton Das, who have also trained with the team in Kolkata, the possibility of further changes to the opening pair cannot be ruled out.
Head to Head
Expected Playing XI & Batting order
Kolkata Knigh Riders (KKR) Possible Playing 11
1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk) 2 N Jagadeesan, 3 Venkatesh Iyer, 4 Nitish Rana (capt), 5 Andre Russell, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Shardul Thakur, 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Varun Chakravarthy.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Possible Playing 11
Mayank Agarwal, 2 Harry Brook, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Heinrich Klaasen, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Mayank Markande, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Umran Malik/ T Natrajan
- Aiden Markram hit 40 runs off 20 balls against Varun Chakravarthy, who was the best bowler for KKR in their last game.
- Varun Chakravarthy, who took only six wickets in 11 matches during IPL 2022. In current season, he has already taken five wickets in three matches this season.
- Andre Russell has a good record against SRH and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Russell averages 58 against KKR since 2019, and his record against Bhuvneshwar Kumar is 63 off 31 balls with a strike-rate of over 200.
- Sunil Narine has never been able to get Rahul Tripathi out, and Rahul has scored 71 runs off 48 balls against him with a strike-rate of almost 150
- Since 2022 in the IPL, the Sunrisers have hit only 15 sixes during the powerplay, making them the team with the lowest number of sixes in this time period.
- Sunrisers have had a tough time dealing with spin bowlers in IPL 2023. Out of all teams, they have lost the second-highest number of wickets to spin (12), just behind Delhi Capitals. Additionally, they have the lowest strike rate (101) and average (13.7) when facing spin bowlers this season.
Selections for Fantasy cricket (Dream 11)
- Heinrich Klaasen - He has a T20I record of 710 runs in 41 matches, with a strike rate of 148.23. However, he is yet to get significant playing time in the IPL with the bat. Klaasen is a proficient player against both pace and spin and has been in good form in recent months.
- Rahul Tripathi - Since the previous season, Rahul Tripathi has been a key player for SunRisers Hyderabad with over 500 runs in 17 matches. He recently scored a match-winning fifty against the Punjab Kings and carries that form into the upcoming game.
- Aiden Markram - He played well in the previous game against the Punjab Kings, scoring 37 runs off 21 balls. He has a good record in the IPL, with 564 runs in 20 matches and a strike rate of 135.90.
- Rinku Singh - He has been impressive in the current season of IPL, scoring 98 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 168.97. In the last game against Gujarat Titans, he played a match-winning cameo by hitting five sixes off the last five balls to help KKR win the match.
- Andre Russell - His performance in IPL 2023 has been lackluster as he has only scored 36 runs in three matches. Despite not bowling, his batting skills have always been his forte, with an IPL strike rate of over 170. He has also performed well at Eden Gardens.
- Umran Malik - He has demonstrated his potential in this year's IPL, having taken four wickets in three matches. He is regarded as one of the fastest bowlers in the world and has maintained a level of consistency over the past year
- Varun Chakravarthy - He has been impressive for the Kolkata Knight Riders this season, taking five wickets in three matches with an average of 13.60. He was outstanding in his last game at Eden Gardens, where he picked up four wickets, which has earned him great respect.