Despite the two bungling batting units, they carry the potential to do deadly damage, and it is in this context that the impact of the bowling units becomes crucial to the contest
Quinton de Kock is KKR’s leading run-getter with 102 runs. Pic/KKR; (right) Travis Head leads SRH’s scoring charts with 136 runs. Pic/AFP
When reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders and runners-up Sunrisers Hyderabad renew their rivalry at the Eden Gardens on Thursday, it will pit two explosive batting line-ups against each other. But, conversely, it’s the batting that has been letting the two down in these early days of IPL-18.
If the 286/6 that SRH posted against Rajasthan Royals in their season opener had announced the threat their batters pose, much of it has withered in the wake of two below-par shows.
The Knights have returned home licking their wounds after Monday’s bashing at the Wankhede, where they were shot out for just 116 in 16.2 overs to give Mumbai Indians their first win and IPL debutant Ashwani Kumar four wickets in a Man of the Match performance.
Both KKR and SRH reiterated that they will not abandon their batting approach, but Dwayne Bravo, KKR’s new mentor, added a rider. “The basics of the game are still required; these guys need to apply themselves a bit more,” said the 41-year-old Trinidadian even as he brushed aside talk of ‘concern’. “These are quality players,” he reminded everyone.
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It’s unlikely that the orange brigade will have forgotten how KKR denied them last season. Beaten all three times the two met, twice in the playoffs, Pat Cummins & Co, who had been looking good for their second IPL title, could only finish second-best.
Despite the two bungling batting units, they carry the potential to do deadly damage, and it is in this context that the impact of the bowling units becomes crucial to the contest.
Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen…together they’re extremely formidable, and it will be up to the KKR bowlers to ensure these batsmen don’t run away with the game. Aniket Verma comes here buoyed by a blistering 74 against Delhi.
Since the loss to RCB in the opening match, KKR have, somewhat sheepishly, been seeking ‘home advantage’ in wickets that suit their spin-laced bowling unit, but they need more than that to quell the firepower of the Orange Army.
Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy will have to spin their web, but it’s the likes of Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Aurora who need to show up. “Home advantage are the fans; I think that is more important than how the pitch plays,” proffered Bravo.
Skipper Ajinkya Rahane, Narine and Quinton de Kock have each had an innings of substance, but batsmen have fallen woefully short of expectations. While young
Angkrish Raghuvanshi is looking solid, KKR fans are waiting for the likes of Andre Russell, Rinku Singh and Venkatesh Iyer to get into the groove. They are up against a bowling unit that has Mohammad Shami, skipper Cummins, Harshal Patel and Adam Zampa.
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