Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad look to get off the mark Dream 11 IPL 2020

When the Kolkata Knight Riders take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday evening, the IPL table will have six teams with points on the board. Both the teams having gotten off to a disappointing start to their campaigns will be looking for redemption. While the Sunrisers Hyderabad threw away the game from a winning position, the Knight Riders were completely outclassed by the Mumbai Indians.

The teams could not have more contrasting approaches to their batting order. While the Sunrisers boast of a top-heavy unit, the Knight Riders middle-order ranks among the strongest in the tournament stacked with power-hitters all the way down to Pat Cummins at number 8. Sunrisers Hyderabad will again be dependent on their opening duo of captain David Warner and the in-form Jonny Bairstow to lead their batting. The men in orange will do well to quickly sort out their middle-order batting which lacked experience and crumbled under the pressure of a run-chase.

With Mitchell Marsh out of the tournament, and his replacement Jason Holder unavailable for the game needing to fulfill quarantine norms, Mohammad Nabi might be drafted in to boost the lower middle order. If Kane Williamson has made a full recovery, the Sunrisers may be tempted to bring in the Kiwi batsman to bolster their middle order which looked thin once Manish Pandey and Bairstow were dismissed against RCB.

The punt of using Sunil Narine at the top of the order backfired for KKR in their first game, as a barrage of short-pitched deliveries proved to be Narine’s Achilles heel. A 10-ball 9 by the pinch-hitting West Indian was less than ideal in the pursuit of a 190-plus score. The innings was even more detrimental considering the first five overs went at less than a run-a-ball with the firepower of Morgan and Russell denied entry into the middle for the first ten overs by which time the required rate had breached the 12-per-over mark.

Kolkata’s bowling might have taken a pounding in the opening game against MI, but there were encouraging signs. Shivam Mavi’s probing opening spell against the attacking Mumbai openers will give cause for optimism in the Kolkata dressing room. Pat Cummins might have conceded 39 runs from his 3 overs against Mumbai, but the Aussie is too good a bowler to be kept down for long. However, the form of Kuldeep Yadav following the IPL 2019 campaign in which his confidence took a heavy beating, might be concerning for the Knight Riders.

While the Sunrisers will look to shore up their batting, the Knight Riders will do well to quickly put the heavy 49-run loss behind them. Both the teams will look to hit the refresh button on their campaigns in an attempt to seal their first points in the Dream 11 IPL 2020.