KKR VS SRH: Kolkata Ready to Sing ‘Korbo, Lorbo, Jitbo Re’ Again

Having finished playing a couple of matches, Kolkata and Hyderabad face each other on the eve of Bengali New Year.

VIVO IPL 2018: Knights eager to stop SRH’s winning streak

KKR can feel comfortable due to their recent batting exploits while SRH’s bowling has provided them their comfort zone. But both the teams have a common lacking in the area of fielding.

 

While SRH’s three dropped catches didn’t affect them much in their match against Mumbai, KKR’s missed chances, especially of Billings and Jadeja, has cost them dear against Chennai.

“There is very little time to change things too much. We have addressed the [fielding] issue and this is something all players are aware of. At the end of the day, it’s one skill that all the players can contribute. We are wishing for the best in the forthcoming game”, said Dinesh Karthik.

While the batting brigade led by Narine, Russell, Rana and Karthik has amazed the fans, the pace battery has failed to create any impact yet which has forced Karthik to turn to his spinners for help.

The batting of SRH is heavily depended on Dhawan who has fared well in both instances. But as the tournament progresses, the middle order consisting of Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan will eventually be put to test.

SRH’s bowling department, led by Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul and Sandeep Sharma, has been in terrific form.

“Dot balls are crucial in such a short format. That was the plan to bowl as many dot balls as possible. I just try my best to bowl in good length areas and mix it up for the batsmen. As he’s in his stance, I can see where he’s trying to hit. Love to bowl both, the leg-spinner and the googly”, said Rashid Khan.

Venue− Eden Gardens, Kolkata

KKR Probable XI: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Mitchell Johnson/Tom Curran, Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi/R Vinay Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav

SRH Probable XI− Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson (c), Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Rashid Khan, Billy Stanlake, Siddarth Kaul, Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Sandeep Sharma