IPL 10, Match 37, SRH v KKR Preview: Sunrisers Hyderabad aim to settle scores against table toppers

The Sunrisers Hyderabad upset the Kings XI Punjab in Mohali in their previous game. Three thunderous knocks from their top three ensured a 200 plus total on the board. Their bowling, that has always been their forte, did the rest by restricting the opposition to 181/9 in the 20 overs. Now, the SRH are back to their home ground in Hyderabad. They are unbeaten at the venue thus far and would want to maintain the perfection at the fortress.

SRH will be up against the Kolkata Knight Riders in the next fixture. The Knight Riders are in a firm spot in the points table. A win for them would mean qualification for the playoffs. They have the most settled lineup in the tournament and are riding on the winning momentum. Amidst this scenario, they would back themselves to upset the Sunrisers in their own den.

The last time the two teams had faced off in Kolkata earlier this season, it was KKR who had registered a 17 run win in the match. Robin Uthappa had powered the team to a big total on that occasion and expect the Karnataka lad to be doing the same in this game as well. Uthappa, along with Gautam Gambhir, has been the most successful batsman for the Knight Riders thus far.

Toss: Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and opted to field

Quotes from the toss:

David Warner: “Let’s hope we make it five out of five here in Hyderabad. We have been playing well at home. We got to make the most of it. Hooda and Nehra are out. Bipul and Siraj are back.”

Gautam Gambhir: “We are looking to bowl. I don’t think the wicket will change much and we are chasing well. They are a very good side, we need to play well. We are playing the same team.”

Playing XI:

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, Yuvraj Singh, Moises Henriques, Naman Ojha(w), Bipul Sharma, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj

Kolkata Knight Riders: Sunil Narine, Gautam Gambhir(c), Robin Uthappa(w), Manish Pandey, Sheldon Jackson, Yusuf Pathan, Colin de Grandhomme, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Woakes, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav

Focus will be on

Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf has evolved to be a very stable head character for the Kolkata Knight Riders in this edition of the IPL thus far. He has managed to be amongst the runs this season in the limited opportunities that he has got. Pathan would surely want to add more to his tally in the matches that follow. He did not get his share of batting in a previous couple of matches. Considering the strong bowling lineup of the Sunrisers Hyderabad, it will not be surprising to see him get his chance on the day.

Yuvraj Singh

The veteran Indian batsman has a habit of being in the limelight. Yuvraj had made a promising start to the season with a couple of blitzkrieg cameos. He played a fiery knock in the season opener. However, in the last 3 games, the southpaw has failed to deliver with the bat. He has got the opportunity to bat with a plethora of overs in hand. But the 35-year-old batsman has not capitalized on those chances. Playing against KKR, Yuvraj will have a strong lineup coming hard at him. He needs to ensure that he gets among the runs soon.

Team Combinations:

Sunrisers Hyderabad

The Sunrisers Hyderabad had a good outing against the Kings XI Punjab. They put a huge total on the board in excess of 200. The top order looks is sublime touch with David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson hitting fifties in the previous game. However, when it comes to the middle-order, the same old problems persist for the SRH camp. Yuvraj Singh and Deepak Hooda have not been in their best form in the last couple of matches.

Having said that, it is worth noting that they are just a good knock away from getting back to form. Moises Henriques has got three fifties to his name this season and hence is likely to retain his place in the lineup. In the bowling department, Rashid Khan is the solitary spin hope. The pace department has looked very settled with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Siddharth Kaul bowling well in tandem. The addition of Ashish Nehra has only strengthened their lineup.

Kolkata Knight Riders

The Kolkata Knight Riders are unlikely to tinker with their winning combinations. The venue of Hyderabad aids spinners and hence Piyush Chawla could make a comeback to the starting eleven at the expense of Sheldon Jackson. Jackson played the previous game but did not have a major role to play in the match. Sunil Narine and Gautam Gambhir look like the obvious choice for the openers followed by in-form Robin Uthappa.

Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan have got runs under their belt in the season and would be raring to get another go in the middle. The bowling lineup has been very impressive with Nathan Coulter-Nile as the spearhead. Umesh Yadav and Chris Woakes have been playing the support role. Sunil Narine is assisted by Kuldeep Yadav in the spin department.

StatAttack

3 – Gautam Gambhir became the third player to score 4000 runs in IPL history.

35 – David Warner and Gautam Gambhir have 35 fifties to their name – the most fifties in IPL history.

471 – Number of fours hit by Gambhir in IPL – the most by any player.

1349 – David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan’s cumulative total of 1349 runs in the previous edition of the tournament.