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IPL 2021 | SRH vs KKR: Will bowling heavy Hyderabad be too hot for Morgan’s balance searching side?

Abhishek Singh

The two teams apart from Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, who have been able to consistently put in worthy enough performances to make it to the playoffs will be up against each other in their opening encounters of the IPL 2021. Although in the last two seasons, Hyderabad has been able to pip KKR for a position in the top four, their battles have never been short of enthralling for the fans to enjoy. 

In this edition too, the battle promises to be mouthwatering, especially with Eoin Morgan, one of the best leaders going around the world in white-ball cricket taking complete reigns of the KKR. His street smart approach towards the game is in total contrast with Trevor Bayliss and David Warner’s methodical approach. 

Bayliss was also the man that shaped Morgan initially. Thus it will also be tactical if you would like to say, ‘Mahabharat’ between modern-day Arjun and Guru Drona (adding the Indian-ness for the Indian in the Premier League). 

Hyderabad's bowling lineup- Arguably the best!

Bhuvneshwar Kumar in full fitness, Rashid Khan, Jason Holder, T Natarajan and Sandeep Sharma with his wild swing in the initial phase of the game. If a team ever asked for a bowling lineup to be versatile, it would hardly get as better as the one that the Sunrisers possess right now. 

Among them, the five have 858 T20 wickets worth of experience. Along with the experience, the current form of all the bowlers has been terrific as well, giving more confidence to the team and themselves as well. With Vijay Shankar playing a proper all-rounder, an over or two is expected from his side as well, making the bowling lineup even more turbulent for the opposition side. 

It is only based on this bowling that Warner’s men could afford to bat slowly if they have to and be able to defend modest totals as well. 

KKR looking to find a fine balance

The Kolkata side didn’t shop too much during the IPL mini-auction, yet they are looking to get a settled team, having too many options to chose from. Shakib Al Hasan and Andre Russell having full fitness is a potential booster for the men in purple and gold. Eoin Morgan taking over the captaincy full time is also a positive for the team. Morgan, 33, is someone how likes to build a squad and carry it through despite early hiccups or failures, something that a frivolous and result oriented KKR management might not like, but badly need after having gone through two average seasons, with their approach. 

Playing the spinners could be the toughest call for Morgan and Brendon McCullum as all five of them - Sunil Narine, Shakib, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav and to an extent even Harbhajan Singh deserve a chance but only two could play. However, the Chepauk pitch coupled with Shakib’s all-round abilities might give the side leverage to play an extra spinner, somewhat trimming the problem for now. 

However, the problem of Pat Cummins persists as Lockie Ferguson has turned out to be a better T20 bowler in the recent past.

Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Match Details

Match Number-03

Date and Time: April 11, 07:30 pm IST, 02: 00 PM GMT

Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium

Broadcast and Live Stream; Star Sports and Hotstar

Pitch Report

A slow wicket was on display in the first game between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The expected dew wasn’t there as Chennai isn’t as humid as it is in the later parts of the year. With dew neglected, the ball is gripping and coming slower to the bat, making it difficult to play through shots. A similar wicket is expected for the next game as well. 

Weather and Toss

With temperatures between 30-32 degree celsius and intermittent clouds hovering over the MA Chidambaram, dew would again be out of consideration. This makes the toss all the more relevant as choosing to chase becomes difficult. But T20 logic says that one must choose to chase no matter what.  It will be interesting to see the decision making on the part of the captains. 

Team News

Sunrisers Hyderabad

The Orange Army have all their resources at disposal with nobody slated to miss any game due to quarantine or a niggle or something. Warner, as the skipper becomes the ultimate choice to open. With Jonny Bairstow in supreme touch, it will be difficult to ignore him and give Jason Roy or Kane Williamson a shot in the first game. Holder and Rashid would most likely fill in the rest of the two spots. 

Strongest XI

David Warner(c), Jonny Bairstow, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Manish Pandey, Abhishek Sharma, Vijay Shankar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan

Kolkata Knight Riders

As for the KKR side Morgan, Russell, Shakib and Lockie Ferguson are the top four foreign picks in an ideal situation. However net sessions would be the ultimate decider between Narine, Russell and Shakib. 

As for the Indian players, Shubman Gill, Dinesh Karthik and Nitish Rana are sure shot batting prospect with Rahul Tripathi most probably getting a go as well. 

Strongest XI

Rahul Tripathi, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (w), Eoin Morgan (c), Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins/ Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy

Dream XI / Fantasy XI

Jonny Bairstow (c), David Warner, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell (vc), Jason Holder, Abhishek Sharma, Bhuvnaeshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Varun Chakravarthy

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IPL 2021 | Rishabh Pant needed an arm around his shoulder, reveals Suresh Raina

When you look at Rishabh Pant the first thing which comes to mind is the audacity with which he plays his shots. He has the uncanny ability to take on world-class bowlers and it was quite evident during England’s tour of India when Pant played two of the most audacious shots against two of the greatest speedsters James Anderson and Jofra Archer. With the 14th edition of IPL having just begun, star CSK batsman Suresh Raina spilt beans to Bharat Sundaresan on his relationship with the Indian stumper who has currently being elevated as the captain of the Delhi Capitals. "BHAIYA, I want to be the best wicket-keeper batsman in the world,” Pant had told Raina during their time spent in Ghaziabad. All Pant wanted was Raina to listen to what he had to offer during the week-long period where the two southpaws spent together in Ghaziabad and Delhi back in July last year. That was a period that helped Pant relax himself and set his aims high which eventually transpired in Australia and against England. Raina felt that Pant needed an arm around his shoulder and Raina continued doing his duty as an elder brother. "I really didn't have much to do with it. He is a young cricketer bursting with talent who in my view is set to become a great player for India. Back in June, he'd just come off a not so good time with the bat. There was a lot of talk about him. So, he just wanted a break from it all, from the media and from everything. All he wanted me to do was listen. He wasn't looking for me to give anything, forget a solution," Raina told Cricbuzz. Raina further recalled that Pant had a lot to say and he just allowed the youngster to vent out whatever he had to offer. It was a month before Raina announced his retirement along with MS Dhoni. Besides spending several hours in the nets and sweating it out, the brotherly bonding kept growing as the two would indulge in leisurely activities. From watching Netflix together to going out on rides to playing with Raina’s kids they gelled along nicely. "When we weren't at training, he would be home all day, playing with my kids, chatting with the wife. We watched a lot of comedies on Netflix, ate a lot of good food, whatever he felt like eating, and just chatted away," says Raina. "We would go for drives around the city, either in his yellow car or at times in mine. We would listen to the music that we both enjoy. It was all so positive and even during those drives, he would open up a lot, and all I did was let him talk," he adds. Raina and Pant spent the majority of their time at the training centre in Ghaziabad where they put their heart and soul to training. "It's been a good experience because with him (Raina) you can learn a lot of things. He is a left-handed batsman. You have got that brotherhood. He teaches me a lot of things, on and off the field situations. We discuss a lot of things and it's helping me," Pant said about Raina during an Instagram chat on the official Chennai Super Kings channel. "He's amazing. He's a top guy and I want him to be who he is. He has been performing, scoring lot of runs for Delhi and of course for the Indian team. I just want him to be the best batsman for his calibre and I hope he will make you all proud," was Raina's response during the same interview last year. Meanwhile, Raina also recalled the fact that the Pant’s sole focus was how to improve his fitness rather than improving on any technical aspects. Pant has been criticised in the past for his fitness problems and he wanted to prove all his critics wrong. "He did a lot of fitness work with me. With his batting, it wasn't technical at all. It was more about getting into the right mindset and feeling good about his cricket and his enjoying his game," Raina revealed during his interaction with Cricbuzz.

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ECB's lack of commitment postpones Ireland - Pakistan T20 series scheduled for June 2021

A two-match long T20I series between Pakistan and Ireland that was scheduled to be played in England in June this year has been postponed once again. The series was initially agreed upon for the last year but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Cricket Ireland had held discussions with ECB to host Pakistan for the T20 series as one of their home ground at Clontarf was not ready for a game after the square was relaid. However, the ECB pulled its hand away from the commitment citing a busy schedule in June with the World Test Championship and a Test series against New Zealand being scheduled to be played in the same month. "We had agreements drawn up with two grounds but the ECB came back to us and said that they had so many international teams coming into the country already and that the logistics around bubbles and Covid protocols are such a significant operation that having another two countries in at that time was just too much,” Cricket Ireland's performance director, Richard Holdsworth, said ESPNcricinfo. Holdsworth expressed regret at missing out on a valuable opportunity to play against a top side in the year of the World T20. But, he has not given up on his plan to host Pakistan and they are still on the lookout for the options. He also expressed optimism that the other planned series against South Africa and Zimbabwe scheduled for August later this year will go as per the plans.

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SA vs PAK | Mohammad Hafeez set to play 100 T20 internationals but ICC goofs up on history

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