3 player battles to watch out for in SRH vs KKR, Match 47 of IPL 2023

The Kolkata Knight Riders will take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Match 47 of IPL 2023 tonight at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. SRH beat KKR by 23 runs in the previous meeting between the two sides in IPL 2023. Kolkata will be keen to avenge that defeat tonight.

Both SRH and KKR have struggled to play with consistency in IPL 2023 so far. While the Hyderabad-based franchise holds the ninth position in the standings with six points, Kolkata are just one spot above them thanks to their superior net run rate.

A win in tonight's match will not take them into the Top 7 of the points table, but it can help the two teams gain some momentum, heading into the final phase of the league stage.

Sunrisers Hyderabad will aim to end their losing streak at home, whereas Kolkata Knight Riders will look forward to avoiding an early elimination by winning tonight's contest.

Before Match 47 of IPL 2023 begins, here's a look at the three player battles that may decide the winner of tonight's game at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.

#1 Andre Russell vs Rahul Tripathi

Andre Russell has not had his best IPL season so far, but the Caribbean all-rounder bowled a decent spell against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first meeting between the two teams. Russell picked up three wickets in 2.1 overs, including the big wicket of Rahul Tripathi.

3 wickets for the big man but not an easy day out on the pitch for Andre Russell 🤯

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While Tripathi has been one of the top performers in the IPL over the last few seasons, he has struggled a bit against Russell's bowling. So far in his IPL career, Tripathi has faced 17 deliveries from Russell and lost his wicket thrice to him.

Looking at Tripathi's dismal record against Russell, KKR captain Nitish Rana may hand the ball to the Caribbean star when the SRH batter comes out to bat.

#2 Bhuvneshwar Kumar vs Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Rahmanullah Gurbaz looked in excellent touch during his previous IPL 2023 innings against the Gujarat Titans. The Afghanistan batter aggregated 81 runs off 39 balls, whacking five fours and seven sixes. He will aim to continue his good form when he plays against the Sunrisers Hyderabad tonight.

Sunrisers Hyderabad, on the other hand, will expect Bhuvneshwar Kumar to dismiss Gurbaz cheaply in the powerplay. Kumar did not allow Gurbaz to open his account in the previous meeting between SRH and KKR. The SRH pacer will be keen to replicate it tonight.

#3 Nitish Rana vs Umran Malik

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Nitish Rana struggled against Umran Malik's pace in the 2021 season. Rana faced 12 balls from Malik and scored only one run. However, in the previous match between KKR and SRH, Rana destroyed Malik by scoring 28 runs off just six balls.

Nitish Rana departs after a fine knock 🙌🏻

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Rana batted aggressively and whacked four fours and two sixes in Malik's over to score 28 runs. Malik will be keen to avenge that attack tonight in IPL 2023. It will be exciting to see which player comes out on top in this battle.