Read more about IPL 2018, KKR vs SRH — Kolkata vs Hyderabad Live Score Updates, Playing 11, Toss, Scorecard on Business Standard. Kolkata Knight Riders will look to win today’s IPL match vs Sunriers Hyderabad to confirm the playoffs berth. As if they lose it will all depend on the outcomes of other teams. Catch live action here
In the 54th match of Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL 2018) Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take on Kane Williamson’s Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Rajiv International Stadium in Hyderabad. Eying a playoff berth, KKR will have their task cut out when they clash with already-qualified table-toppers SRH in today’s IPL match. Kolkata Knight Riders are placed third in the Vivo IPL points table, with seven wins in 13 outings. The Dinesh Karthik-led side will have to win to inch closer to a knockout spot.
Along with Sunrisers Hyderabad, second-placed Chennai Super Kings are already in the playoffs. SRH will come into today’s IPL match on the back of a 14-run defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore in a high-scoring match on Thursday. Led by Kane Williamson, whose rousing 81 off 42 balls — his eighth fifty-plus score in — almost won the game for SRH despite the stiff target of 219 set by Virat Kohli’s RCB. SRH’s batting clicked in the previous match but their famed bowling took a beating.
The hosts will be eager to correct the flaws as they brace up to face another tough opposition. SRH are likely to ring in a couple of changes and, pacer Basil Thampi, who on Thursday bowled the most expensive four overs in the history of IPL, could be one of the axed players. Thampi leaked 70 runs in his full quota of four overs, surpassing the previous record held by Ishant Sharma. India opener Shikhar Dhawan missed out against RCB and will be keen to get a big one against KKR in today’s IPL match. Manish Pandey notched a half-century against RCB and will look to continue with the same form. SRH had rested their pace spearhead Bhuvneshwar Kumar against RCB. Kumar could be back for the KKR game, alongside Rashid Khan, Siddharth Kaul and Shakib Al Hasan.
When the two teams last met in at Eden Gardens defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 5 wickets.
On the other hand, will look to win today’s IPL match and get a playoff berth confirmed. If they lose today, they will have to depend on the outcomes of other teams like Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab to be able to make it to playoffs. Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav will be high on confidence after his career-best 4/20 against Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens in their last game. The likes of Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine and skipper Dinesh Karthik will hold the key to KKR’s fortunes.
Dinesh Karthik and Co. bounced back in style after succumbing to a 102-run defeat at the hands of Mumbai Indians. They defeated Kings XI Punjab by 31 runs by piling up the season’s highest total of 245/6, fourth-highest in IPL history. Punjab fought hard, riding on K L Rahul’s 66, but in the end it was too tall a mountain to climb. There were many positives for KKR from that game. Karthik continued to lead from the front with a competent 23-ball 50, while Sunil Narine smashed a 36-ball 75. There were important contributions from Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa and Andre Russell as well, and end-overs cameos from Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill. Russell was excellent with the ball too and so was M. Prasidh Krishna who grabbed two wickets.
Kane Williamson, Shikhar Dhawan, Alex Hales, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Shakib Al Hasan, Sreevats Goswami, Bhuvneswar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Rashid Khan, Siddharth KaulChris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, and Dinesh Karthik are identified as KKR’s key batsmen. Lynn has had his difficulties against the spinners, but he has applied and shown the intent to persevere till he has the opportunity to feast on the quicks. Robin Uthappa has struck the ball crisply, but he is yet to convert his starts to big innings. KKR vice-captain has five scores of 30 or more, yet his highest score is 48. Dinesh Karthik, as has been the case with him right through his career, brings with him a sense of purpose and urgency whenever he walks out to bat. The spin trio have been able to hold their own, though the conditions at the Wankhede Stadium have not been as supportive as they would have liked. Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla, and Kuldeep Yadav have together picked more wickets as compared to fast bowlers and likely to repeat the same in IPL today’s match. The expectations of the spin trio will be a tad higher also because of the opposition’s poor record against the slower bowlers.
Sunrisers Hyderabad players who might prove handy today: Kane Williamson has led from the front; the Kiwi batsman is the team’s top run-getter. For someone whose name will generally not feature in discussions about the most-impactful batsmen in T20 cricket, Williamson has hit a purple patch and encashed on it; his season aggregate is more than the runs he had scored in the IPL before this season. Shikhar Dhawan, who scored 92 not out in the previous match – his first half-century in nine innings, and Alex Hales are among the other batsmen equipped to bat long and make substantial contributions with the bat. Kane Williamson has a dream bowling attack – every bowler in the team has contributed to the team’s cause when handed the ball. Barring the two matches against Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings, the Sunrisers bowlers have picked up at least 8 opposition wickets in each of their remaining five matches. If he returns to the XI, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be the spearhead of the attack, while Rashid Khan can be expected to test the Royals middle-order – largely comprising overseas players – with his bagful of tricks.
KKR ready for must-wingame, says coach Kallis: Kolkata Knight Riders coach Jacques Kallis said his team would put its best foot forward to make it to the playoffs of the when it takes on formidable in a crucial today’s IPL match. Yes, it’s a must-win game and the team needs to put up a competitive performance to make it to the playoffs,» Kallis said in the pre-match press conference. Placed third on the points table with 14 points, KKR will have to beat SRH to confirm its spot in the play-offs. If it loses, it will have to hope for other results to go its way. They (Sunrisers Hyderabad) have played some good cricket. They are obviously coming off a loss but they have already qualified. We will have to play some good cricket to beat them, he said. SRH has already qualified for the play-offs is at the top of the table with 18 points.
Williamson has been a good T20 player for number of years, says Moody: Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson has been a revelation this season both with the bat and with his leadership skills, and the team’s head coach Tom Moody said he wasn’t surprised at all as the New Zealend batsman has been a good T20 player for a number of years. To be honest it has not been a surprise to us. Kane (Williamson) has been a good T20 player for a number of years. It is really an opportunity for people watching to see the versatility in Kane Williamson,» he said. «He has got a T20 hundred, I think about four years ago in the Champions League.
