The Eden Gardens pitch has been a major talking point, especially after KKR’s seven-wicket loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The home team’s bowling attack was exposed as Phil Salt and Virat Kohli effortlessly chased down 175, putting pressure on KKR’s spin trio of Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, and Moeen Ali. While KKR requested a turning wicket, pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee denied their request, though CAB president Snehasish Ganguly is now reviewing the surface.
KKR’s squad decisions are also under scrutiny. Former players like Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Phil Salt, and Mitchell Starc have excelled elsewhere, with Starc’s recent 5/35 against SRH highlighting KKR’s lack of a strike bowler. Anrich Nortje’s unavailability and Venkatesh Iyer’s poor form further weaken KKR’s chances.
On the other hand, SRH’s aggressive batting strategy has backfired since their record-breaking 286/6 in the season opener. They have failed to cross 200 runs in the last two games, suffering collapses against Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals. However, their pace attack, led by Pat Cummins and Mohammed Shami, could prove decisive at Eden Gardens, where Shami’s local experience might be crucial.
Both teams face must-win pressure, making this a high-stakes showdown.
Teams:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Aniket Verma, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins(c), Wiaan Mulder, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami, Zeeshan Ansari, Adam Zampa, Sachin Baby, Eshan Malinga, Simarjeet Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, Kamindu Mendis, Rahul Chahar, Atharva Taide
Kolkata Knight Riders: Quinton de Kock(w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakaravarthy, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Anukul Roy, Luvnith Sisodia, Moeen Ali, Rovman Powell, Mayank Markande, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Chetan Sakariya
