Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) gear up to face the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the third T20 match of the IPL 2024 season at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday, March 23, 2024, by 7:3:00 PM IST.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have won the toss and have opted to field first
Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi, Marco Jansen, Pat Cummins(c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mayank Markande and T Natarajan.
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Philip Salt(w), Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer(c), Nitish Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy.
Therefore, the two teams will be unleashing their powers in what is going to be a thrilling game.
Team Form:
KKR enters this game with a respectable win-loss record (3 out of 5). With the purple cap, despite a narrow loss in their previous match against Lucknow Super Giants, KKR will still be a strong team, especially against SRH, who have won 13 out of their last 20 games.
While the other team is on a roll and has won four matches in a row, SRH is in a difficult situation with a string of defeats.
The side, guided by Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins, wants to put their previous performances behind them and prove a lot in the IPL 2024 season.
Head-to-Head Record for KKR vs SRH:
Despite Sunrisers Hyderabad having to get a win desperately, Kolkata Knight Riders have been the dominant side against them, winning 16 out of 25 matches in total. The recent trend of KKR in the last few matches is another factor that works in their favor in the upcoming game.
Key Players:
KKR will bank on the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, and Andre Russell to do the bulk of the scoring with the bat, and the bowling department will depend on the spin wizardry of Sunil Narine as well as the pace of Mitchell Starc.
SRH will rely on veterans like Manish Pandey, Jason Roy, and captain Pat Cummins as wielders of the bat.
Talking about the bowlers, the responsibility will be on the wrist spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman and the pace couple of Dushmantha Chameera and Chetan Sakariya to break the KKR batting lineup.
Pitch and Weather Conditions:
Eden Gardens can be considered a ground with a flat pitch with pace and bounce, which is suitable for both batters and bowlers.
The average first innings score suggests that the team batting first might get the edge, but the chasing team has also won.
Weather in Kolkata is expected to be hazy with chances of light rain. On the other hand, such an environment should not matter much and would be a perfect place to stage a thrilling cricket match.
Where to Watch KKR vs SHR Match:
Indian viewers can watch the action live on Star Sports channels, while Australian viewers can tune in to Fox Cricket for live coverage.
Also, these matches will be live on different platforms, including Jio Cinema in India, Tapmad TV and Yupp TV in Pakistan, and Kayo Sports in Australia.
Prediction:
The current KKR has been in good form, and they have been able to beat the SRH teams on many occasions.
So, they enter this match as their favorite team. But cricket is a game of uncertainties, and SRH will be ready for the challenge if they want to return.
Expect a tough competition with the two teams vying to emerge victorious in a match that will probably be high-scoring in Eden Gardens.