What to expect
An intense game. KKR have their backs to the wall after two defeats and a solitary win. SRH are on the same boat. Of the six teams on two points from three games, SRH are eighth and KKR 10th. So much for the finalists from the 2024 edition. Under such circumstances, usually, games tend to take a weird shape. Nobody can predict which way it will tilt.
It’s hard to tell the favourites. Eden Gardens will assist carry and lift amid talks of slowing the surface down, following some hue and cry from the home team and other quarters. Truth be told, the pitch won’t be the decisive factor. It’s the steel, resolve, luck and pluck of the players that will make the difference. Home advantage? Yes. KKR will have it, in the form of a vociferous army of fans.
Key battle
KKR’s batters vs SRH’s bowlers. The defending champions are showing chinks in their armour, as far as batting is concerned. Two openers meant to go for broke, followed by a brittle 3-5, and then batters who specialise in blasting the ball. Somewhere in this mix, there appears to be a hint of an imbalance. In the anchoring part of the innings, there seem to be shortcomings. However, that’s half the story told. SRH, too, can crumble if they lose early wickets.
KKR likely XI
Considering that the Eden pitch has been conducive for the faster bowlers of late, changes are unlikely. If at all, a spinner will replace one of the quicker bowlers. The KKR fans will hope that this batting line-up comes good.
Quinton de Kock (WK), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora/Anukul Roy, Varun Chakravarthy.
SRH likely XI
An underwhelming last two games after a rousing start, SRH can be trusted to stick to what works for them. That means heavy artillery in batting. If they look for reinforcements, it will be in the place of Abhinav Manohar. Their bowling has a steady mix, where changes are not required.
Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (WK), Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins (C), Harshal Patel, Mohammad Shami, Zeeshan Ansari.
Pitch and weather
The pitch might be drier than the inaugural match on March 22. That means a slight edge for the spinners. There is little dew, however, amid forecasts that there might be light showers in the evening. If the elements stay neutral, it will be a fair contest between evenly matched sides.