In Qualifier 2 of Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL 2018) Kane Williamson-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will take on Dinesh Karthik's Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday. A two-time champion, KKR will be aiming to exploit SRH's recent run of poor form when the two teams square off in what promises to be a high-octane IPL Qualifier 2 match. KKR stormed into the IPL Qualifier 2 by defeating Rajasthan Royals by 25 runs at the same venue, while Sunrisers Hyderabad lost to Chennai Super Kings by 2 wickets in a nail-biting encounter in Mumbai in Qualifier 1. SRH got the benefit of being one of the top two teams in and received a second shot at qualifying for the final tie, while Rajasthan, which entered the playoffs ranked fourth were knocked out.
KKR have ticked all the right boxes in theior past few IPL 2018 matches, with four wins on trot. Table-toppers Sunrisers, on the other hand, have slipped after finishing on top of the league table; they now have 4 consecutive lost matches behind them.
Call it complacency or the lack of performance from their middle order, SRH have lost four straight games, something that will be a cause for concern to Kane Williamson's team. Arguably the best bowling side of IPL 2018, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddharth Kaul and Sandeep Sharma delivering consistently along with the immensely talented Rashid Khan, Sunrisers will like to extract whatever juice is available from the Eden Gardens track.
Who has the edge in the KKR vs SRH qualifier 2?
The momentum is strongly in favour of Dinesh Karthik’s Kolkata Knight Riders, which will also heavily bank on their home advantage. So, it will need a special effort from the Kane Williamson-led side to stop the resurgent KKR and return to winning ways. If they do, they will meet Chennai Super Kings in the final match, to be played on Sunday (May 27) and have a fair chance of avenging their losses in the past three IPL 2018 games played against the M S Dhoni-led side.
The first to qualify for the IPL 2018 playoffs after eliminating Delhi Daredevils, Sunrisers Hyderabad began to see a slide in Pune, when their famed bowling attack failed to defend 180 against Chennai Super Kings. Then, they went on to lose to RCB, KKR and again CSK in subsequent games. SRH’s problem has been their batting, heavily reliant on skipper Kane Williamson, the current 'Orange Cap' holder with 685 runs at an average of 57.05. Their latest defeat in Qualifier 1 will hurt them the most as they had the match in their pocket, with But Williamson's strategy to get Carlos Brathwaite to bowl an over at the death backfired. The West Indian leaked 20 runs in the 18th over. Hyderabad will now have the big selection headache as they decide on the fifth and sixth bowler for today's match.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (9 wickets) will also need to get his act together and complement the Afghan wrist spinner Rashid Khan (18 wickets). Siddharth Kaul (19 wickets) has been SRH's best bowler in IPL 2018, with consistent efforts at the start and death overs. Williamson will also have some big holes to plug in the batting department. Out for a 'golden duck' against CSK, Shikhar Dhawan (437 runs) will have to rise to the occasion, but it is the middle order that has created more problems for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Manish Pandey (284) and Yusuf Pathan (212) have been flops and their inability to provide the necessary muscle in the middle overs is a concern.
On the other hand, there will be no such problems to tackle for KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik, who might look to go with an unchanged playing 11. Surprise choice as Kolkata Knight Riders captain after the departure of their most successful leader Gautam Gambhir, Karthik is in the middle of the form of his life, averaging 54.44 from 15 matches. Two wins shy of grabbing the title, Karthik will want to go full throttle in a standout season for the soft-spoken Tamil Nadu cricketer.
Kolkata Knight Riders’ biggest strength has been the team's ability to stand up and perform in case someone fails. In the Eliminator, opener Sunil Narine failed to give the team a fiery start but Andre Russell's unbeaten 25-ball 49 ensured that the team ended on a flourish and eliminated Rajasthan Royals. Narine was ineffective as a bowler, too, but the likes of Kuldeep Yadav (16 wickets) and Piyush Chawla (13 wickets) held on to their tasks, while Russell and young Prasidh Krishna led the pace attack.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) playing 11 probables for IPL Qualifier 2: Dinesh Karthik, Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Javon Searles, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) playing 11 probables for IPL Qualifier 2: Kane Williamson, Shikhar Dhawan, Wriddiman Saha or Sreevats Goswami, Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan or Deepak Hooda, Carlos Braithwaite or Alex Hales, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddharth Kaul, Rashid Khan, Shakib Al Hasan, Sandeep Sharma
Here are a few things to know about the Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (KKR vs SRH) match (IPL Qualifier 2) to be played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the two teams' players who could prove handy, and who has said what before the clash:
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) players who might prove handy in IPL Qualifier 2: Dinesh Karthik and Sunil Narine are the two batsmen which played an important role for KKR’s success. Sunil Narine provided the much-needed thrust in the top of the batting order while Dinesh Karthik played a match winner role down the order. Also, the spirited performance of KKR in IPL 2018 can be attributed as a success of all batters as six KKR batsmen had scored 250 plus runs. Chris Lynn has batted responsibly – even if he hasn’t been able to struck the ball the way he is known for in IPL 2018, while Robin Uthappa has struck the ball sweetly, except when he’s attempted the pull shot. Like the previous match, KKR will mostly depend on spinners in IPL Qualifier 2 while pacer Andre Russell and Prasidh Krishna must repeat their death over performance in IPL Qualifier 2 to restrict SRH cheaply. The spin trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla and Sunil Narine will be at the heart of KKR’s bowling plans. Each one of them is attacking by nature and has bowled a match-winning spell at least once in the season; together, they’ve collected 42 wickets which account for nearly 50% of the wickets taken by KKR bowlers.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) players might prove handy today: Kane Williamson has batted in IPL 2018 like many would bat in a dream. The SRH captain has amassed 661 runs so far in IPL 2018; he has made 8 half-centuries in 14 visits to the crease. His last knock – 81 against RCB – is easily among the finest T20 knocks ever. Williamson brings an element of purity to batting in T20s. In the last game, though, he emerged from his comfort zone and played a few strokes one isn’t accustomed to seeing him play. Among the others that SRH need to fire are Shikhar Dhawan, who has been in excellent form in white-ball cricket, and Alex Hales. The Sunrisers need their most-experienced bowler – Bhuvneshwar Kumar – to strike a rich haul. The last time he visited Kolkata, he collected his best figures of the season – 3 for 26. Rashid Khan is the one other bowler most likely to do plenty of damage with the ball; even the best batsmen have found it difficult to read the spinner from Afghanistan. The teenage leggie, who has 18 wickets this season, will be mindful of his dismal record against KKR; he finished wicket-less in both the league-stage matches against KKR.
Prasidh Krishna reminds me of Bumrah, says KKR bowling coach Heath Streak: Pacer Prasidh Krishna has been the find of the season for Kolkata Knight Riders and bowling coach Heath Streak has gone to the extent of comparing the 22-year-old with Jasprit Bumrah. Krishna choked Rajasthan Royals' chase, conceding just three runs in the 18th over to return with a tidy 1/28 as Kolkata booked a clash with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the second IPL Qualifer. "That over was world class... It reminds me of guys like Jasprit Bumrah who came on the scene doing exactly what he is doing. He is one of those names IPL has unearthed and he is making a name for himself," the former Zimbabwe captain Streak told reporters at the team hotel. The Karnataka pacer was initially called to bowl at the nets but the franchise gave him an opportunity after injury to Under-19 World Cup winning pacer Kamlesh Nagarkoti. Terming him a smart and thinking bowler, Streak said: "He has brought a new dimension to the team, not just his pace but also his height. He is really using his options and variations well...
Hyderabad will find Eden Gardens wicket difficult in IPL Qualifier 2, says Kuldeep Yadav: Hot on the heels of making the Indian Premier League (IPL) Qualifier 2 after posting a 25-run win over Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator, Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav said their next opponents Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will not find it easy to adjust to the Eden Gardens strip. Sunrisers Hyderabad, who lost to Chennai Super Kings in Qualifier 1 at Mumbai will get a second chance to reach the summit clash against KKR on Friday. But Kuldeep felt, the men in purple's 'home advantage' should hold them in good stead as the Wankhede Stadium pitch in Mumbai is different from the one at Eden. "For us, it's very easy to play here. It's home ground for us. We are very used to the conditions. Obviously, it will be difficult for them to come from Mumbai and play here. The wicket is totally different here from Mumbai where it has true bounce. Here it helps the spinners. It will be a good contest," Kuldeep told reporters at the post-match press conference.
We need two-three good overs to change course of game, says Saha: Despite coming into the Qualifier 2 on the back of four straight losses, Sunrisers Hyderabad wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha feels "two-three overs" can change their fortunes in the big-ticket game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Friday. "We have forgotten the past. We have been told to forget the last match and get ready for this match. We are not thinking about the four losses. We know that two-three overs can change the course of a game in T20," Saha told reporters on the sidelines of their practice at the Eden Gardens.
Sunrisers were the first to qualify for the playoffs but slumped to defeats to Royal Challengers Bangalore, KKR and Chennai Super Kings twice. Saha though said, KKR having won four matches on the bounce won't impact much as Sunrisers are ready for any situation. "We started off well. We could not win because lack of finishing ability. We will play to win tomorrow without thinking of the consequences."
India and Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli today said he was "deeply sorry" for RCB's failure to make the ongoing Indian Premier League's knockout stage and vowed to turn things around next season. RCB finished third from bottom after losing eight of their 14 matches, let down by a weak bowling attack and inconsistent batting which was heavily reliant on Kohli and AB de Villiers. "We could not pull our way and we are not very proud of how the season went for us. (I'm) deeply hurt by how we played... deeply sorry for not living up to the expectations of the fans," Kohli said in a video posted on his Twitter page. "Having said that, it is all a part of life and you cannot always get what you want. It's upto the players to understand what to do about this the next season, really want to turn things around next season," he added.
Here is how KKR and SRH have fared in head to head comparisons against each other in the IPL games played so far
Overall
Matches playes: 14,
Sunrisers Hyderabad won: 5
Kolkata Knight Riders won: 9
At the Eden Gardens:
Matches played: 6
Sunrisers Hyderabad won: 1
Kolkata Knight Riders won: 5