Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are all set to take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their upcoming game of the ongoing IPL 2024. Both sides will lock horns in Qualifier 1 of the tournament at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, May 21. KKR became the first side to qualify for the playoffs of the tournament, and they will aim to register yet another win to place themselves in the finals of this season.
On the other hand, SRH became the third team to qualify for the playoffs. The Pat Cummins-led side registered a four-wicket victory in their final league match against Punjab Kings. This win propelled their position to second place in the standings, enabling them to compete in the Qualifiers against the table-toppers, KKR.
KKR vs SRH Previous Performances
Heading into a crucial fixture, the Knight Riders, two-time champions who finished at the top of the points table for the first time in 17 seasons, are short on match practice, having last played a full 40-over game on May 5. This could be a concern for Shreyas Iyer’s side, who have engineered and pioneered a new approach to the IPL, almost similar to the style of their opponents, Sunrisers Hyderabad, in Qualifier 1. Both teams have redefined the game with a high-risk, no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners attitude.
Thus, it will be a clash of two bold, fearless, in-form teams with a slight edge tilted towards the Hyderabad side, who are also looking for their third IPL championship. Kolkata have their season’s regular opener, Phil Salt, who combined well with other opener Sunil Narine, missing since the Englishman has left for home for national duties. Narine may partner Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the game. The Afghan is yet to hit a ball in a game this season.
On the other hand, SRH’s go-for-broke opening combination of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma is very much intact. Strange things have certainly happened in cricket, particularly in the IPL, but the success or failure of the opening combinations of the sides could determine the result of the game.
Then there is this bowling factor that gives Pat Cummins’s side some advantage. The Hyderabad team has largely depended on its pacers – T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Cummins himself with Jaydev Unadkat and Marco Jansen to fall back on – and the Narendra Modi Stadium has mostly aided the pacers. The Knight Riders’ arsenal has been their spinners, chiefly Narine and Varun Chakravarthy.
A big plus for Hyderabad has been that Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who opens the attack, had been off color initially but has found his mojo in the second half of the league while the Knight Riders have not exactly had their spearhead, Mitchell Starc, firing on all cylinders. Kolkata will need Starc (12 wickets in 11 innings), the costliest buy in the IPL history, to come to the party. If that’s not enough, KKR need to be wary of the happy memories that Cummins and Head have at this venue – of winning the ODI World Cup last year.
But the only issue that may not work for SRH is the neutrality in the stands. Cummins had famously said before the World Cup final last year that nothing is more satisfying than silencing 1.3 lakh people. There may be as many people on Tuesday night as well, but they may not support the opposition as fervently as they did on November 19, 2023.
KKR vs SRH Head to Head
KKR 17 – 9 SRH. The Knight Riders have been even more dominating since 2020, having won seven of their nine face-offs. The playoffs records of the two sides are almost similar, with KKR winning eight and losing five while SRH have won 5 and lost six. Head didn’t even play the last time these two sides met, with SRH picking Marco Jansen ahead of him.
Harshit Rana stopped Klaasen and SRH in the last over, earning a four-run victory for KKR at Eden Gardens. In the early half of the season, chasing was a concern for KKR, but they’ve remedied that heading into the playoffs.
| Matches Played | 26 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders Won | 17 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad Won | 09 |
| No results | 00 |
KKR vs SRH Pitch Report
Red soil or black soil? The answer to this question could determine the composition of the teams. The previous game in Ahmedabad was a washout, but the weather is expected to be fine for Tuesday.
Ahmedabad has been burning and boiling, with the mercury soaring above 45 degrees Celsius lately, but amusingly enough, that may not be all bad news. With a slew of recent Indian Premier League matches affected by rain, the current trend of scorching heat is unlikely to be unwelcomed by those associated with the IPL. Ironically, it may offer a refreshing relief to the two remaining teams at the venue.
The weather forecast for both Tuesday and Wednesday, when Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator will be played, is for more of the same sweltering heat, ensuring the matches proceed without interruption. According to the local Meteorological Department, the weather will be ‘hot with plenty of sun’ – a massive understatement of the season. The heat has been both infernal and searing. But just try asking the Kolkata Knight Riders, who experienced two consecutive washouts, including one at the Narendra Modi Stadium on May 13. They may not mind the heat.
It is not a do-or- die game but neither team wants to be in that situation as a defeat will put them there. With the pitch expected to assist the batters, it will be a high-scoring game with the captain winning the toss choosing to field, as most captains have done this season.
KKR vs SRH Big picture: Two batting powerhouses collide
Two of the quickest-scoring teams in this IPL could produce another run-fest in the first qualifier in Ahmedabad, especially if it serves up a bouncy, red-soil track. Phil Salt has left the IPL but Kolkata Knight Riders still have enough power in the form of Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Rinku Singh. Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen can certainly match up to that power or even overpower KKR.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have also figured out an aggressive No.3 option in Rahul Tripathi to strengthen their top order. But can they dial down their aggression and still find a way, if Ahmedabad throws up a slow, black-soil turner? In March, which seems ages go, SRH managed only 162 for 8 on a black-soil surface that suited Gujarat Titans’ spinners.
Regardless of the color and nature of the surface, Narine and Varun Chakravarthy have the pedigree to take wickets or restrict the opposition. But KKR will have to rock up cold on Tuesday, having endured washouts in their last two league matches, including one in Ahmedabad. Especially, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Salt’s like-for-like replacement, who has not featured in IPL 2024 and last played cricket in mid-March.
It was back on May 11 that KKR had confirmed their place in the playoffs after beating Mumbai Indians in a truncated game at home. They haven’t been in action since and it might not be easy to hit the ground running after a ten-day break, table-toppers or otherwise.
KKR vs SRH Team news and Impact Player strategy
Kolkata Knight Riders
Nitish Rana is fit again and could stay in the team as an Impact Player option, in place of one of the specialist bowlers, having scored 33 off 23 balls against MI in Kolkata. KKR, though, might have to choose between left-arm finger spinner Anukul Roy and right-arm seamer Vaibhav Arora.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
SRH have been fairly consistent with their Impact Player strategy with one of the batters slotting in for T Natarajan. VijayKanth Viyaskanth, the young leg spinner from Jaffna, has done fairly well in his two IPL outings and could keep his place unless SRH want to bring back Aiden Markram for his steady batting and offspin against a potentially left-hander heavy KKR middle order. Jaydev Unadkat for his change-ups is another option.
KKR vs SRH In the spotlight: Rinku Singh and T Natarajan
After torching IPL 2023 with his finishing skills, Rinku Singh hasn’t had many opportunities to do that in IPL 2024. He also could not find a place in India’s main squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. He has faced only 113 balls in 11 innings this season at a healthy strike rate of 148.67. That might pale in comparison to some of the heavy hitters that will be on display on Tuesday, but count Rinku out at your own peril.
T Natarajan was taken to the cleaners by Ayush Badoni, but he bounced back against Punjab Kings, coming away with 2 for 33 in his four overs, in a 215 vs 214 game. His bowling isn’t just about the yorker anymore – he has also developed a deceptive slower bouncer to handcuff batters in the middle and death overs. Natarajan, though, will have to be wary of Russell, who has taken him for 43 off 26 balls for just one wicket at a strike rate of 165.38 in the IPL.
KKR vs SRH Stats that matter
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar has a favorable match-up against Narine, dismissing him twice in 25 balls while keeping him to just 28 runs in the IPL.
- No spinner has taken more wickets than Varun’s 38 in 26 IPL innings since the 2023 season started.
- Narine is four hits away from 100 IPL sixes. Thirty-two of those have come this season. His opponent Abhishek is the top six-hitter this IPL with 41.
- According to ESPNCricinfo’s logs, Bhuvneshwar has bowled 31 yorkers in IPL 2024. Only Jasprit Bumrah (56) has bowled more yorkers this season. Avesh Khan has also hit the blockhole 31 times, with Natarajan (27) slotting not too far behind.
KKR vs SRH Probable Playing XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR):
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk.), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy
Impact Player– Vaibhav Arora
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH):
Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (WK), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Sanvir Singh, Pat Cummins (C), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande
Impact Player– T Natarajan
KKR vs SRH Fantasy XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk.), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen (WK),Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Pat Cummins, Varun Chakravarthy, Mitchell Starc
KKR vs SRH Probable Best Players of the Match
Probable Best Batter: Travis Head
Travis Head could be the best batter in the upcoming game against KKR. With 533 runs in his last 12 matches, Head has been responsible for the solid starts that SRH have been getting off to, and his performance could propel SRH to yet another win in this crucial match.
Probable Best Bowler: Varun Chakravarthy
Varun Chakravarthy could be the best bowler in the upcoming game against SRH. The 32-year-old has been one of the best bowlers of the IPL 2024, with 18 wickets in his last 13 matches, Chakravarthy’s spell could prove crucial to KKR’s success in the upcoming game.
KKR vs SRH Match Prediction
Scenario 1
Kolkata Knight Riders win the toss and opt to bowl.
Power Play score: 70-80
First Innings Score: 210-220
Kolkata Knight Riders win the match.
Scenario 2
Sunrisers Hyderabad win the toss and opt to bowl.
Power Play score: 80-90
First Innings Score: 220-230
Kolkata Knight Riders win the match