IPL 6: Match 72 – SRH vs KKR – Kolkata Knight Riders Preview

Teams – Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkota Knight Riders

Venue - Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad

Timing – 8 pm IST

A team that has been knocked out has nothing to lose, but it does have a party or two to spoil. Tonight, KKR get one such opportunity against an SRH team that must win in order to qualify for the play-offs. KKR will be the team under lesser pressure – a rare occurrence given that they are the defending champions and a team that hasn’t played like one at all this year.

As inconsequential as it may be to their standing this year, KKR has a choice to make between playing for pride and giving a few benched players an opportunity to spend some time in the middle. In the latter case, players like Brad Haddin and Iqbal Abdulla might fancy their chances of getting a game tonight.

Gambhir and Kallis – the biggest batting stars in the line-up – will be looking forward to another opportunity to get a few runs at the top of the order. While Gambhir’s form was impressive at the start of the tournament, his performances withered away in the second half of the tournament. He has managed just 110 runs in his last 8 innings, which includes one innings of 50. Kallis’ form can at best be described as inconsistent. He has been getting starts more often than not, and will want to make a match-winning contribution this time. While Yusuf Pathan has been a big let down, he will be raring to go after his unfortunate dismissal in the previous match. He also has some form going into this match.

On a slow pitch, the KKR bowlers will be a handful. Sunil Narine will continue to be the biggest threat in the attack. The other bowlers including Balaji, Kallis and Bhatia are experts in taking the pace off the ball and it will require some skill and a lot of strength to hit them out of the park on a regular basis.

Players to watch out for

Yusuf Pathan – He will take his chances against the spinning duo of Mishra and Sharma. Its a matter of reading them well, and if Pathan does that, we might see some fireworks.

Narine – He will love the pitch. His variations can prove to be too much to handle, and the SRH batsmen have their task cut out in his 4 overs.

Balaji – An under-rated, yet handy, bowler to have in the side. He will make the batsmen work hard for their runs.

Prediction

Although KKR have a few match-winners in their team, they haven’t been firing in unison. The batting doesn’t look threatening and will be up against an in-form SRH attack. SRH hold the upper hand in this match.