Sunrisers Hyderabad aim to bounce back against KKR at Eden Gardens

Kolkata Knight Riders will look to address bowling concerns, especially spin struggles, as they face Sunrisers Hyderabad. Both teams enter the match with vulnerabilities, making the contest crucial for momentum in the early phase of the IPL season

Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders will be desperate for their spinners to rediscover the bite against Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL match involving two batting-heavy sides here on Thursday.

This fixture also marks the start of a crucial home stretch for the three-time champions, who will play three matches in seven days and another on April 19 before the Kolkata leg pauses for nearly a month due to the upcoming assembly polls.

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With four away games to follow and their next home fixture scheduled only on May 16, KKR know it is imperative to build momentum in this phase.

Historically, Eden Gardens has been a stronghold of KKR, winning 54 out of 95 matches since 2008.

However, KKR’s start has already hit a few early bumps as expectedly with their thin bowling resources.

They seemed to have assembled a well-rounded pace attack but injuries and availability issues had blunted their firepower.

Harshit Rana and Akash Deep are ruled out, Matheesha Pathirana is yet to get an NOC from Sri Lanka Cricket, and Cameron Green — their Rs 25.20 crore overseas acquisition — is currently available only as a batter.

That lack of depth was brutally exposed in their opener against Mumbai Indians, where they failed to defend 220.

Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton put on a 148-run opening stand in just 72 balls, underlining KKR’s lack of penetration with the new ball.

But the bigger worry will be the struggle of spinners — Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. Chakravarthy went wicketless and conceded 48 runs, continuing his profligate ways since the latter part of the T20 World Cup, while Narine bowled just three overs and was introduced only after the Powerplay.

Green or Powell?

Green, who made 18 off 10 balls, did not bowl because of his workload management instructions given by Cricket Australia.

With Green not being used as a bowler, it remains to be seen if KKR are tempted to bring in Rovman Powell, given the West Indian’s proven T20 credentials.

Powell scored 149 runs in the T20 World Cup at a strike rate of 147.52 and also has fond memories of Eden Gardens, having smashed an unbeaten 34 off 19 balls in a Super Eight game against India.

While KKR reportedly requested for a turning track, the pitch is expected to remain a sporting one, assisting both seamers and spinners, with 200 considered a par score.
That makes it essential for Narine and Chakravarthy to step up.

Rahane’s middle-overs crisis

KKR will take heart from skipper Ajinkya Rahane’s explosive start, but his middle-over slowdown remains a concern.

Against Mumbai, Rahane raced to 36 off 18 balls in the power play but then managed just 31 off 22 balls without a boundary.

The trend is not new as since IPL 2023, Rahane has been among the most effective power play batters, scoring 544 runs in 30 innings at an average of around 77.5 and a strike rate above 170.

But in the middle overs, his strike rate dips sharply to 124 — a phase where KKR lost momentum against MI as they missed 20-30 extra runs.

SRH’s turmoil

Sunrisers find themselves in a similar position after starting their campaign with a loss to reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru. SRH boast a star-studded top order comprising Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Travis Head.

But their bowling looks vulnerable — especially in the absence of Pat Cummins, who is yet to return to full match fitness — as they failed to defend 201 against RCB.

The Australian skipper has resumed bowling in the nets and is targeting a comeback in the middle of the tournament, but for now, SRH must manage without their leader.

In the opener, bowlers like Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jaydev Unadkat, Harshal Patel and Eshan Malinga struggled to contain the opposition.

SRH will also expect more from their top order after Abhishek and Head fell cheaply in the previous game.