The Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders on what is a very important game for both sides in Abu Dhabi. The new KKR captain Eoin Morgan has still not played a match-winning knock so far, while the SRH skipper David Warner has been consistent but has been a little quiet compared to his past seasons. KKR won the last game these 2 sides met by 7 wickets.
KKR is coming off from a 2 match losing streak and were completely outplayed by the rampant MI side. If not for efforts from Cummins and Morgan which took their total to a below-par 148, KKR could have been bowled out for less than 100. Their top order failed after opting to bat and were at one stage 42-4 in the 8th over. Bowlers didn’t have much to defend and De Kock’s belligerent 78 off 44 swept away KKR in a quick time.
SRH has also lost 2 matches on the bounce and will look to put on a better fight with the bat. CSK’s aggressive approach at the top while batting took SRH aback and Rashid Khan who was till then watchfully played by the batsman was suddenly taken to the cleaners. Their ordinary bowling meant they had to chase 168 runs on a slow surface and only Kane Williamson(57) putting on a brave effort and lost the game by 20 runs.
Key players from both sides
Batsman – David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan, and Dinesh Karthik.
SRH batting tends to struggle when their openers fail to post a big score and a lot is dependent on them to give the team a good start again. The duo didn’t score much in the last few games and the team couldn’t post a big score vs RR while batting first, failed to chase a target of 168 against CSK. These 2 are crucial in this game. Eoin Morgan had a rather quiet tournament so far and he is one of the best limited-overs middle-order batsmen going around. He along with the former KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik will have to come good if they are to harbor any hopes of clinching a playoff spot.
All Rounder- Pat Cummins, Andre Russell, Rashid Khan, and Vijay Shankar.
Vijay Shankar hasn’t been used much with the ball and playing a limited role in the batting department as well. Time may be running out for the talented all-rounder and it is now or never for him to cement a place for himself in the side. Rashid Khan has been underutilized with the bat so far which is a rather stranger tactic by them. He is undoubtedly their best bowler and hopefully, they can use his batting prowess a bit more. Andre Russell is having a tournament to forget with the bat and has been quite decent as a death bowler KKR will hope the Russell storm strikes UAE sooner rather than later. Pat Cummins has done better with the bat than with the ball in this IPL. He even scored his first T20 half-century last game and if his bowling comes good, he becomes a dangerous commodity.
Bowlers – Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy, Natarajan, and Shabaz Nadeem.
Shahbaz Nadeem finally played for SRH this season and can be quite a handful on the surfaces of UAE at this stage of the tournament. They lacked a decent 5th bowler in this tournament and finally, they seem to have filled that void with Nadeem. Natarajan is the pick of their fast bowlers so far and has done an extraordinary job in the death overs for the team. Varun Chakravarthy has bowled mostly in powerplays and sometimes in death. KKR seems to have put a lot of faith in him and is important for them in the absence of Sunil Narine. Despite missing a few games. Shivam Mavi looked the best pacer on the show last game vs MI and hopefully, the youngster will continue to impress.
Battles to look forward
- Natarajan vs Eoin Morgan
- Rashid Khan vs Andre Russell
- Pat Cummins vs David Warner and Bairstow
Eoin Morgan is a free-flowing batsman and looks for runs every time. If there is a bowler from SRH who can slow him down, it has to be Natarajan with precise yorkers. Andre Russell is completely looking out of sorts at the moment and a bowler of quality such as Rashid Khan can only trouble him more. So this will be a good match-up to watch along with Pat Cummins battle with the SRH openers. The duo struggled against the Aussie pacer when these sides last met.
Head to Head between SRH and KKR.
- Matches Played: 18
- SRH Won: 7
- KKR won: 11
Significant Approaching Milestones.
10- David Warner needs 10 more runs to become the first overseas player to complete 5000 IPL runs.
1- Sandeep Sharma needs 1 more scalp to cross the 100 IPL wickets mark.
Match conditions
Venue: Sheik Zayed cricket stadium, Abu Dhabi.
Date & Timings: October 18, 2020, at 3.30 PM IST.
Weather: Clear with the temperature around 32-33 C.
Pitch: Likely to be a slow batting surface as the game progresses.
