Kolkata Knight Riders will lock horns against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday in Abu Dhabi. After losing their first match against Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders will be trying to bounce back with a win against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The pressure will be certainly on them to deliver in the big stage after signing two marquee players from the auction this season. Eoin Morgan and Pat Cummins will also be eager to prove themselves in this match after not getting the desired start in the first match of the tournament.
On the other hand, Sunrisers Hyderabad will also be eyeing to make a comeback after losing the first game against Royal Challengers Bangalore with a close margin. However, the lack of experience in the lower middle might be a reason of their downfall in this season.
Pitch Report:
The toss is going to be a vital part of this tournament because of the nature of the pitches. Most captains prefer batting second under lights. However, we have seen that the teams with a big total on board can defend the score with a disciplined bowling attack.
Head To Head Record:
Total Matches Played: 17
Kolkata Knight Riders Won: 10
Sunrisers Hyderabad Won: 7
Predicted Playing XI; Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Sunrisers Hyderabad:
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Sunil Narine, Rahul Tripathi, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav, Sandeep Warrier.
Sunrisers Hyderabad:
David Warner (C), Johnny Bairstow (Wk), Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma, Mohammed Nabi, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, T. Natarajan.
Key Players:
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Sunil Narine
Sunrisers Hyderabad:
David Warner
Johnny Bairstow
Captain And Vice-Captain Selection:
Captain Choices: Andre Russell, David Warner.
Vice-Captain Choices: Sunil Narine, Nitish Rana, Johnny Bairstow, Manish Pandey.
Probable Winner: Kolkata Knight Riders.
KKR have looked quite rusty in the first match of the tournament. Pat Cummins and Eoin Morgan played the first match just after finishing their quarantine. That might have affected their gameplay as both of them struggled to adapt to the conditions of the United Arab Emirates. The record of Eoin Morgan in subcontinental pitches is not great and that might be an area of concern for Kolkata Knight Riders. Eoin Morgan has not been able to time the slower balls of Kieron Pollard in the first match. Pat Cummins has conceded 49 runs in his 3 overs. However, the team management will keep faith in these two players. Nikhil Naik might be dropped and it might open the door for Rahul Tripathi. The team management will also be looking to fix their batting order from this game.
On the other hand, Sunrisers Hyderabad will miss the service of Mitchell Marsh in this match. The star Australian all-rounder has picked up an injury while bowling his first over in this season. Mohammed Nabi might replace him in the starting XI. However, the team management of Sunrisers Hyderabad will surely try to fit in Kane Williamson in the starting XI as it will stabilize their batting order.
