IPL 2021: Match 49 – Strongest Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Predicted Playing XI against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

After a good performance against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) yet again slipped and lost a close match to Chennai Super Kings (CSK). This loss has also ruled them of a slim chance of qualifying for the playoffs for the 14^th edition of the IPL. This loss would have hurt the SRH management as they squandered a good opportunity of seizing the crucial moments of the game.

Although opener Jason Roy failed, wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha had got a start and scored a well-made 44 before he was out of Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling. With the wicket of Saha, the SRH middle-order batters too lost the plot and the team could only post 134. Although their bowlers led by Jason Holder tried defending the target by keeping things tight, in the end, it was a tall task against a formidable batting lineup of CSK.

SRH batters clearly let the team down by not showing enough intent to score briskly. With three games yet to go the Kane Williamson-led SRH would hope to avoid the dreaded wooden spoon finish.

Here is SRH’s predicted playing XI against KKR:

Openers – Jason Roy and Wriddhiman Saha

While in the IPL debut England Jason Roy scored a blazing 60 against CSK, he was out for just 2 in the last game, leaving Saha to do the bulk of the run-scoring at the top. The SRH management would be hoping the duo contributes together and take the team to a good score. After failing to contribute against CSK, Roy would be itching to score big against KKR.

On the other hand, Saha would like to convert starts into something substantial. He has contributed to good-looking 30s, and 40s, but that big score has eluded him. With three games yet to go, Saha would hope to finish the season on a high.

Middle Order – Kane Williamson, Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma

SRH’s Achilles heal throughout the IPL 14 has been lack of runs from the middle-order batters. Even the change in personnel has not helped as the management would have hoped for. Piryam Garg and Abhishek Sharma have shown glimpses have their talent but have not shown the required consistency in the limited chances that they have got. The onus has again fallen on skipper Kane Williamson to steady and anchor the innings.

The pressure has got to ice-cool Williamson too at times as he has struggled to accelerate, during the death overs of the innings. Abhishek has a reputation to go big but so far, in the 19 IPL games, the southpaw has only scored 189 runs. Garg has also failed to seize his chances and has only scored 140 runs in 16 games. The SRH management would be hoping the duo clicks in the remainder of the matches.

All-rounders – Jason Holder, Abdul Samad

West Indian all-rounder Jason Holder has been one of the biggest shining stars for SRH. With Bhuvneshwar Kumar blowing hot and cold, Holder has ably taken the additional responsibility of taking wickets, as well as scoring handy runs lower down the order. So far, he has taken six wickets and has scored 62 runs in three games that he has batted.

Meanwhile, Abdul Samad has continued to impress. His lusty blows lower down the order has given SRH a good finisher lower down the order. The youngster is not afraid to play his strokes and also strikes at a good strike rate of over 150.

Bowlers – Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Siddharth Kaul

Be it a total below 150 or a total above 200, SRH bowlers have defended any total under the sun in the past. If Rashid Khan has bamboozled the opponents with fast leg-spin and googlies, then Kumar and co. have kept the batters under a tight leash by not giving too many loose balls. Rashid has so far taken 14 wickets and as usual, has been brilliant for SRH.

On the other hand, Kumar has not looked as effective as he would have liked. So far, he has taken only two wickets in the four games of the UAE leg of the IPL. His lack of wickets upfront has put added pressure on Sandeep Sharma and Siddharth Kaul, who have largely been inconsistent with their line and lengths.