IPL 2018, SRH vs KKR: 5 Talking Points
With three wins needed in the last three games to qualify for the playoffs, Kolkata Knight Riders won all three and surged ahead in the tournament. In their last league game which was a must-win encounter against Sunrisers Hyderabad, they put up a very good show as they beat the table-toppers by 5 wickets.
After opting to bat first, SRH were in total control until the 15th over before some excellent death bowling from Prasidh Krishna and some poor execution from the SRH middle-order meant that the ‘Men in Orange’ had to settle for 172.
Chasing a stiff total, Sunil Narine once again provided KKR with a blazing start scoring 29 in 10 balls. Chris Lynn continued the good work as he registered his third half-century of the season. It was then Dinesh Karthik who finished and remained unbeaten in yet another run-chase as KKR confirmed their spot in the playoffs.
#5 KKR’s powerplay woes continue as SRH get off to a flier
Kolkata Knight Riders have been one of the worst teams bowling in the powerplay this season. They have taken just 12 wickets in the powerplay throughout the tournament (in 14 games) and have also been quite expensive. In fact, they have conceded more than 50 runs on 9 occasions (including today) in the first 6 overs and the least they’ve conceded is 40 in the game against RCB in Bangalore.
In this game, KKR conceded 60 in the powerplay and failed to pick up a wicket as well. Prasidh Krishna gave away 11 runs in the second over while Andre Russell leaked 20 runs in the third. Narine was KKR’s best bowler in the powerplay as he gave just 13 runs in the two overs that he bowled with the field restrictions.
On the other hand, SRH would’ve been very happy with the start they got. Shreevats Goswami walked out to open the batting in this game alongside Shikhar Dhawan and the duo was excellent as it took the attack to the KKR bowlers. Both the batsmen had nearly identical scores at the end of the powerplay and the hosts got to 60 in the first 6.