IPL 2022: KKR face SRH in a must win game for both
IPL 2022: Kolkata Knight Riders play a must win game tonight against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the MCA Stadium, Pune.
IPL 2022: KKR are on the verge of an elimination from the IPL 2022 as they are stuck on 10 points from 12 matches. A loss to SRH today will mean they are out.
On the other hand, Sunrisers Hyderabad themselves are struggling to bounce back from a string of defeats. Injuries have derailed what looked a promising season for the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The men in Orange were on a 5 run win streak but their winning run came to a halt at the hands of the Gujarat Titans.
Since then, they are yet to win, losing 4 matches in a row!
The last match that SRH played was against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. It was a disappointing outing for them with both, the ball and bat in hand.
SRH ended up conceding 192 runs in their 20 overs, despite having RCB at 4/1 after 2 overs. Dinesh Karthik finished the innings in a flurry after Rajat Patidar and Faf Du Plessis laid a foundation with a 105 run partnership.
In response, SRH could only manage 125 runs, as Wanindu Hasaranga spun a web around the SRH batsmen. Hasaranga picked up a 5-fer, conceding just 16 runs. This majestic spell included a double wicket maiden!
Catch the highlights of the match here: https://www.sportstrumpet.com/ipl-2022-srh-succumb-to-a-67-run-defeat-to-rcb/
With Punjab Kings winning yesterday against RCB, SRH need to win this match or risk being eliminated from the Tata IPL 2022.
Previous meeting
Last time these 2 teams met, it was the former KKR man Rahul Tripathi alongside Aiden Markram, who helped SRH win the match by 7 wickets.
T Natarajan picked up 3/37 to help restrict KKR to a par score of 175.
Picture credits – Twitter.
Unfortunately, it was Rahul Tripathi, the former KKR player, who scored a blistering 71 off 37 balls to help SRH to a 7 wicket win.
Head to Head
KKR have a good record against the SRH, despite their defeat last time around. KKR have beaten SRH 14 times as compared to the 8 wins for SRH. (Stats taken from Cricbuzz)
Injury Updates
KKR are set to welcome back Umesh Yadav into the playing XI. He missed their previous match against Mumbai Indians due to a calf strain. But, KKR will miss the services of Pat Cummins, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the IPL due to a hip injury.
Read more: https://www.sportstrumpet.com/pat-cummins-will-not-play-further-part-in-ipl-2022/
SRH on the other hand have an injury boost as well, with crucial players in T Natarajan and Washington Sundar expected to be fit for the match against the men in Purple. This could be a a timely return for both the main stays of the SRH team.
Pitch Report for the Tata IPL 2022 match between KKR and SRH
The surface at the MCA Stadium is a good one to bat on. But, there is assistance for both, the spinners as well as the pacers. Unlike other venues, team batting first has won majority of the games here. As a result, we can expect the captain winning the toss to go against the Meta and elect to bat first.
Probable Playing XI
Kolkata Knight Riders – Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer(c), Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Sam Billings(wk), Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Sunrisers Hyderabad – Abhishek Sharma, Kane Williamson(c), Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran(w), Shashank Singh, Washington Sundar, T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Umran Malik
We can expect an intense close game as the two teams prepare to fight for the playoffs.
