 "SRH vs KKR preview: It's do or die for Knight Riders in Hyderabad")
The Sunrisers Hyderabad are coming back to their home after a win against the Delhi Capitals in Delhi. They would be pumped up to face a struggling Kolkata Knight Riders and keep their hopes of playoffs alive. In eight games Hyderabad has three wins and a victory here would make it four out of nine. It will help them rise up from the ninth position in the points table.
The Knight Riders, on the other hand, could be eliminated from the playoffs race if they lose this game. Having won against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their last away encounter, the men in purple and gold lost to Gujarat Titans at home. This dented their chances of progress with only three wins in nine games.
Say Kolkata lose tonight, they will have only four games remaining. They would not only have to win those four matches but also hope that others lose. Hence, playoff qualification chances would be taken away from their hands after a loss in this game. That’s why this game becomes a do-or-die encounter for the Nitish Rana-led team.
SRH vs KKR, IPL 2023 Match Details
Match Number- 47
Series- Indian Premier League 2023
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Date: Thursday, May 04, 2023
Time: 07:30 PM IST
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Pitch Report
The pitch in Hyderabad has become better over the last few seasons. Run-scoring hasn’t really been an issue apart from the last game, where Delhi Capitals were able to defend a total as low as 144.
In the last game, there was grip available for spinners and if the trend continues, KKR will come into the game big time with their three spinners- Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy and Suyash Sharma.
SRH vs KKR, Hyderabad Weather Forecast
There are 14 per cent chances of rain from 07 pm to 08 pm IST in Hyderabad tonight. It moves up to 18 per cent from 09 pm to 10 pm and then to 49 per cent with thunderstorms expected at around 11 pm IST. Thus, a captain winning the toss would keep this in mind and play it safe by choosing to field first.
Sunrisers Hyderabad playing combination
With a win in the last game, the Hyderabad side won’t be looking to change anything unless forced by any injury. However, Umran Malik has been a liability so far and can be replaced by Natarajan in the playing 11 who can be used as an impact substitute for Abdul Samad.
Harry Brook needs to come good for his team as well. Akeal Hosein might give way to Marco Jansen, given that the pitch will not offer help to spinners in overcast conditions.
SRH predicted playing 11
Abhishek Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram (C), Harry Brook, Heinrich Klaasen (WK), Abdul Samad, Marco Jansen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, Umran Malik
Impact Substitute Options: Marco Jansen, T Natarajan, Vivrant Sharma, Mayank Dagar, Samarth Vyas
Kolkata Knight Riders playing combination
The Knight Riders would dearly want Jason Roy to be back in the playing 11 and accompany Rahmanullah Gurbaz as an opening partner. The two dashers could give Kolkata the much-needed firepower at the start of the innings. Lockie Ferguson could be used as an impact substitute for Roy when the Knight Riders bowl.
In such a situation both Venkatesh Iyer and Suyash Sharma could be used as main players. Umesh Yadav could be rested as Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur, Ferguson and Harshit Rana would be three pacers and there are three spinners in the side already. Iyer could be the seventh bowling option.
KKR predicted playing 11
Jason Roy, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (C), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Suyash Sharma
Impact Substitute Options: Suyash Sharma, Mandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Umesh Yadav, Lockie Ferguson
SRH vs KKR, IPL 2023 Live Streaming and Broadcast
The match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders can be live streamed on the Jio Cinema app across ios and Android platforms on phones, tablets, smart TVs and laptops. The match can also be viewed on the TV channels on the Star Sports Network.