Kolkata: When Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad lock horns Thursday at Eden Gardens we can expect sparks to fly in a possible cliffhanger.
Both teams are in a spot of bother having lost two of the opening three games and the war rooms must be buzzing with activity to win this tie.
The eight-wicket defeat to Mumbai Indians in their previous game has pushed KKR down to the bottom of the table and worsened their NRR to -1.428. SRH are marginally better off sitting eighth with a NRR of -0.871. Various match prediction sites have also put the visitors marginally ahead in the win probability quotient handing them 54 per cent chance.
After two back-to-back failures, SRH will be hoping that Travis Head, Heinrich Klassen, Ishan Kisan and Abhishek Sharma fire on all cylinders at the majestic Eden.
SRH made a fiery start to their season, bulldozing through their opponents with some fearless batting. They have progressively dipped from their high of 286, with their aggressive intent causing their doom. SRH looked like a double-edged sword that cut both ways.
A strong powerplay start from Head and Abhishek could be the cue of the day. While
Abhishek has been out of form in the last three games, he is far too gifted to keep failing. He’s due for a solid knock, and that may well come against KKR.
Nitish Kumar Reddy and Klaasen could also be game-changers on the sporting wicket that Eden presents. The latter’s exploits at Eden is well etched in the memory of all and sundry. Harshal Patel could be the lynchpin of their side affecting the match both with his bat and ball. On the bowling side, Mohammed Shami and Pat Cummins, both playing here for Bengal and KKR, respectively, would know how to best utilise the conditions. Adam Zampa and Zeeshan Ansari could be the x-factors on a surface that always promises some turn.
SRH fielding coach Ryan Cook also sounded upbeat about the team. “Morale is high. Players are backing each other. Looking to bounce back. We have shown what we are capable of while batting and hope to replicate it tomorrow.”
KKR have blown hot and cold this season with their rather oops-a-daisy middle-order faltering and floundering repeatedly. They have crumbled like cookies before any sort of intelligent bowling attack and have not shown any imagination while counterattacking. Such heavy defeats are bound to leave the team rattled, and bouncing back won’t be easy.
Their biggest concern is their shaky batting line-up. The entire top and middle-order have flattered to deceive except Angkrish Raghuvanshi.
Team mentor DJ Bravo however has other ideas: “Team’s morale is high even after two losses. These are early days in IPL. You cannot judge potential match winners after just a couple of failures. These are very talented players and they have won matches single handedly. We expect them to come good. We just need to remind them of their calibre.”
Asked about the explosive batting of SRH, he added: “It’s a challenge for our bowlers. If we get a couple of early wickets, it will open up things for us. We have both attacking and defensive plans in place. We will adopt things according to the tempo of the game”