2016 IPL Eliminator: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders
The 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) will see who gets a chance to reach the finals when Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Feroz Shah Kotla cricket stadium, New Delhi on Wednesday, 25 May. The winner of this Eliminator goes on to meet Gujarat Lions to decide who takes on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL Final.
Both these teams left it until the last league match to decide their positions in the table. While SRH was on top of the table, their loss to KKR on the final day dropped them out of top two. KKR on the other hand will look to repeat the dose they gave to SRH in their final league match.
SRH started the tournament on a wrong note but have since picked up momentum. The performance of David Warner and his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan gave them strong platforms to launch, however their middle order is a huge concern. Their quick start is usually followed by a mellowed middle-over play which has hampered their final-over surge.
Had it not been for their discipline and variety in bowling, SRH wouldn’t have made it as far as the play-offs. Led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mustafizur Rahman, SRH have made light of the injury to Ashish Nehra. But, spin is still a concern with Karn Sharma far from the threat he used to be in previous editions of the IPL.
For KKR, it is the resurgence of the old guard that’s leading their charge. Captain Gautam Gambhir has shown that his remodeled stance is working well for him while Robin Uthappa has managed to provide quick starts for the side. Yusuf Pathan has regained his mojo of finishing with a flourish. Among the youngsters, Manish Pandey is showing everyone why he is very highly rated.
But the bigger story is the success of mystery spinner Sunil Narine who seems to have mastered his remodeled action. The absence of Andre Russell hasn’t been felt but if he recovers in time for this encounter, it would be a huge boost to KKR and Gambhir.
KKR managed to stay ahead of their opponents on both the occasions in the league phase this year. In fact, their last game win over SRH came in a must-win match to qualify for the play-offs. With that in mind, the momentum is with KKR who are expected to continue their run at odds of $1.74 at Sportsbet.
Watch out for the KKR youngster Pandey who may turn out to be their best batsman. Narine will once again be the key with the ball and backing him to be their best bowler isn’t a tough call. A win in this game will not guarantee a place in the final but a loss will end the campaign. Which of these two sides will stay in the hunt?
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