KKR vs SRH, IPL 2022 preview: Kolkata face Hyderabad in do-or-die battle – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Kolkata Knight Riders take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in match 61 of IPL 2022 on Saturday. While both teams are alive in the playoffs race, their chances of going through to the next stage are pretty slim.

Seventh place SRH and eighth place KKR have both collected 10 points so far and to qualify they will not only need to win their remaining matches but will need help from other teams as well. SRH though have three games left as compared to KKR’s two and have a better chance of qualifying to the knockouts but they are currently on a four-game losing streak. Fighting to stay alive in the playoffs race, KKR come into the match after a massive 52-runs win over Mumbai Indians.

Shreyas Iyer captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders and Kane Williamson of the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Sportzpics

Star watch

Andre Russell: The West Indian only scored nine off five balls against MI but he got two crucial wickets including that of Tilak Varma. With Pat Cummins, who took three wickets against Mumbai, missing the remainder of the season due to a hip injury, Russell’s bowling becomes even more important for the KKR side.

At the same time, the middle-order batter has 281 runs to his name in 12 matches third-highest for KKR. A defeat would see KKR getting eliminated from IPL 2022, and in such a crucial encounter, KKR need their talismanic all-rounder to fire on all cylinders.

Kane Williamson: In the home stretch of the tournament, Williamson is running out of time to lead the team by example. With only 199 runs in 11 matches, Williamson has failed to fire so far this season. He has a strike rate of just over 96 and has got out for a duck in the last game. Opener Abhishek Sharma has also lost form after starting strongly and it’s now imperative that Williamson provides the necessary inspiration with the bat to the SRH side which still has a chance to reach the playoffs.

Uncapped watch

Rinku Singh: After sitting out for a while, Rinku suddenly finds himself in the thick of the action and KKR have not regretted calling him back. The left-handed batter has scored 129 runs from five matches this season from the middle-order and that has given KKR some stability. His knock of 42 not out helped KKR beat Rajsthan Royals while he made another 23 not out in the winning cause against Mumbai Indians. More of the same will be the message for the youngster from KKR management.

Rahul Tripathi: The right-handed batter has been one of SRH’s star players this season with 308 runs in 11 matches. Even in their loss against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Tripathi was the lone batting star as he scored 58 off 37 in a match that SRH lost by 67 runs. SRH will need him to carry forward his form to the game tonight as the Hyderabad franchise aim to string three consecutive victories in the hope to reach the playoffs.

Match-up

Sunil Narine only has eight wickets from 12 matches but he has been a miser in giving away runs with an economy rate of just 5.22. His ability to choke any opposition is a massive asset for KKR. SRH, however, could try to neutralise the Trinidad spinner by using in-form Rahul Tripathi. The SRH batter has never got out to Narine in seven IPL matches while scoring 67 off 45 balls.

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