Abhishek Sharma. (Source -Getty Images)
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the qualifier 1 of the IPL 2024 to set the playoffs underway at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Notably, the game is slated to be played on Tuesday, May 21.
KKR are at the top of the points table with 9 wins and two no results from 14 matches putting them at 20 points. While SRH had a little bit of luck with finishing with the exact same 17 points with eight wins and one no result as Rajasthan Royals and finishing above the latter on NRR.
KKR’s last game was against RR at Guwahati, but the match was declared a no result as the rains returned after a much-delayed toss and prevented any play. Only the second such instance in IPL history. KKR’s previous game to that, against GT at Ahmedabad was abandoned without even a toss so they came into this match without any game time for almost 10 days.
SRH’s previous game, against PBKS at Hyderabad, was a crucial one in helping them finish in the second position on the points table. PBKS were bolstered by a fifty from Prabhsimran Singh with supporting roles from Rilee Rossouw, Atharva Taide and stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma to put up a total that would require a record chase by SRH. Travis Head fell on the first ball of the chase, but that did not deter SRH as Rahul Tripathi went hard in the powerplay, but the star of the show was Abhishek Sharma whose quickfire fifty helped SRH knock off more than half the target in less than 10 overs. Contributions from Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen helped SRH pull off their joint highest successful chase in the IPL.
These two teams faced each other only once in the league stage, at Kolkata. That match was the first game for both teams in IPL 2024. Batting first, KKR got off to a very poor start, while Phil Salt got a fifty, none of their middle order got going amidst an excellent spell by T Natarajan until Ramandeep Singh showed some support, but it was Andre Russell’s explosive knock that pushed KKR over 200. SRH’s top order started well, but Andre Russell and Sunil Narine tied SRH’s middle order down.
With a cameo and some timely sixes from Shahbaz Ahmed for support, Heinrich Klaasen went ballistic and almost took SRH over the line before Harshit Rana returned to defend 13 from the final over and delivering a four-run victory dismissing both Ahmed and Klaasen. This is the first time that these two teams will be playing in the Qualifier 1, as all their prior meetings in the playoffs have only come in the eliminator. SRH will also be gunning for revenge and enter their third IPL final straight away.
Narendra Modi Stadium Pitch Report
The latest match at India’s biggest ground aka Narendra Modi Stadium was abandoned. Interestingly, Ahmedabad has not been flat this year. The matches between bat and ball have been balanced for the most part with some exceptions including the last full match that took place here. But both sides have been bolstered by batting firepower of their own and that should play a part in the scorecard.
IPL Stats and Records at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
The last match here was abandoned without a toss, and hence doesn’t go into records as a match played, but 18 matches out of 33 have been won batting second here with an average first innings score of 173.
33
Matches Won Batting First
15
Matches Won Batting Second
18
Matches Won Winning Toss
16
Matches Won Losing Toss
17
Matches With No Result
0
Highest Team Total
233/3
Lowest Team Total
89
Average First Innings Total
173
Highest Total Successfully Chased
205
KKR vs SRH Strategies and Matchups
The one glaring weakness that is very obvious in table topper KKR’s lineup is their middle order. While there have been performances, all of their batsmen other than the openers have been inconsistent. Kolkata have only two batters who have scored 400 or more runs for them this season, and one of them isn’t available any more. SRH’s pace battery including T Natarajan and skipper Pat Cummins should target this phase with their bowling smarts.
Sunrisers Hyderabad themselves have not been immune to any of the problems presented here that have been causing KKR discomfort. Nitish Kumar Reddy has been a find, but even SRH’s middle order has been inconsistent. And they will be up against Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. The important matchups for this match are Harshit Rana vs Abhishek Sharma, Sunil Narine vs Heinrich Klaasen, Varun Chakravarthy vs Nitish Kumarr Reddy, Andre Russell vs T Natarajan, Sunil Narine vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Player Battles to Watch Out For
Andre Russell vs T Natarajan:
Russell is important for KKR’s chances, and his prowess against Natarajan will be at the forefront, especially in the death overs. In 26 balls, Russell has scored 43 runs against Natrajan at a strike rate of 165.38 while being dismissed once at an average of 43.
Abhishek Sharma vs Sunil Narine:
Sharma has been breaking bowling attacks all season, and Narine surprisingly hasn’t managed to get the better of Abhishek ever. In 22 balls, at a strike rate of 177.27, Abhishek has scored 39 runs without ever being dismissed by Narine.
X-Factors for KKR vs SRH
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Sunil Narine has been headlining this season with his all-round abilities in a way that even he hasn’t done before. With KKR fielding a new opening combination, his responsibilities with the bat will grow exponentially.
Sunrisers Hyderabad:
Travis Head wouldn’t be thrilled about getting out the first ball last game, but if anybody knows how to make a comeback, it’s him. With his reputation of being a big-match player, Head will be raring to go in the playoffs.