IPL 2021: KKR vs SRH – Match 49 : Preview, Playing XI, Pitch Report & Updates

The loss against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the last game would still be hurting Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Yet, all is not lost for KKR as they still have two games to be played. The team’s net run-rate is also good which could prove to be a crucial factor during the business end of the tournament.

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The turnaround should be quick from the franchise in purple and gold. After a bitter loss against PBKS, KKR head coach Brendon McCullum was asked about Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan’s inclusion in the team to which he confirmed that the all-rounder will soon be available in the mix. 

Meanwhile, SRH is out of contention for playoffs. The loss against CSK sealed their fate for the IPL 2021. The story of SRH has been pretty much the same, with their batters letting the team down by not contributing enough. Even a change in the personnel in the middle-order has not worked so far. SRH’s bowlers though have done well and would back themselves to deliver another decent performance.

Pitch Report 

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The match is going to be played at Dubai International Stadium. PBKS batters chased a stiff target of 166 against KKR on the same venue. The pitch has not changed much and chasing might be the preferred option for the team.  

Predicted Playing XI

Kolkata Knight Riders 

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Venkatesh Iyer, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (Captain), Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Varun Chakravarthy, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna.

Sunrisers Hyderabad 

Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha (Wk), Kane Williamson (Captain), Manish Pandey, Abhishek Sharma, Priyam Garg, Jason Holder, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Siddharth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma

Key Players

Venkatesh Iyer

Venkatesh Iyer has been a revelation this season. He has been magnificent with the bat, scoring heaps of runs at a blistering strike rate. On occasions, he has contributed with the ball as well. 

Jason Holder

SRH all-rounder Jason Holder has been one of the biggest shining stars of the team. With Bhuvneshwar Kumar not in his elements so far, Holder has stepped up well and has taken six wickets in four games post resumption. He is a match winner on his day.