3 player battles to watch out for in KKR vs SRH, Match 15 of IPL 2025 ft. Sunil Narine
The 15th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 will see defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) take on the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Thursday, April 3, at Eden Gardens. Last year's finalists, KKR and SRH, haven't fired yet in IPL 2025 and will look to turn their campaign around with a win tonight.
Kolkata have played three games so far in the tournament and recorded just one win. They are stranded at the bottom of the table with two points in three matches and an NRR of -1.428. The defending champions took a heavy beating in their last game against the Mumbai Indians, and will look to bounce back strongly.
SRH, on the other hand, got their campaign off to an excellent start, beating the Rajasthan Royals by 44 runs after scoring 286. However, they have lost two matches on the trot since then and find themselves in the eighth spot, with two points from three matches.
It is a rematch of last year's final, and an intriguing contest is on the cards, given both teams will look to win here and move up on the points table. This game will also present some interesting matchups, and we will look at three of them.
3 player battles to watch out for in KKR vs SRH, Match 15 of IPL 2025
#1 Sunil Narine vs Pat Cummins
The West Indian all-rounder has had an average start to the IPL 2025 campaign with the bat. He scored 44 runs in the defeat to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru before getting out for a duck in the last game.
Sunil Narine's struggle might continue against SRH, given his poor record against their captain Pat Cummins. Notably, Cummins has dismissed Narine twice in seven balls in the shortest format of the game.
Narine, thus, will have to be vigilant against the SRH skipper with the new ball.
#2 Mohammad Shami vs Quinton de Kock
The ace Indian fast bowler will return to Eden Gardens, where he has played all his domestic cricket, and will look to work his magic in SRH colors. With the Eden wicket offering some swing and bounce, Mohammad Shami's duel with Quinton de Kock in the powerplay could be a fascinating one.
Shami has had a dull IPL 2025 campaign so far, picking up two wickets in three matches, and will hope to come up with a better performance against KKR. With his ability to swing the ball both ways, he could trouble the KKR openers, particularly de Kock.
The right-arm pacer has dismissed de Kock thrice in 36 balls while conceding 54 runs in T20s.
#3 Travis Head vs Sunil Narine
The left-handed opener from Australia, Travis Head, has enjoyed an excellent start to his IPL 2025 campaign. The southpaw has amassed 136 runs in three matches at a strike rate of over 190.
However, Head has struggled against Narine in the past, which might tempt KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane to introduce the mystery spinner inside the powerplay. The SRH opener has managed to score only 15 runs off 12 deliveries against Narine in T20s. Thus, if KKR can manage to put on early pressure on Head, it could lead to his dismissal.