SRH vs KKR Dream11 Team, Probable Playing XI, Toss, Pitch and Match Preview: KKR and SRH square off at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Sunday.
Overcoming the injury spat Sunrisers Hyderabad qualified for the playoffs for the fifth successive season in 2020. After revitalizing Wriddhiman Saha, SRH found new heroes in form of Jason Holder, Sandeep Sharma and T Natarajan. Kolkata Knight Riders failed to build any momentum mainly due to the below-average performances of Narine and Russell. But eventually found a mystery spinner, Varun Chakravarthy. Both teams have enough match-winners in their squad, however, KKR have an upper hand and are favourites to win the opening game.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
The SRH top order involving David Warner, Jonny Bairstow and Manish Pandey have collectively scored 1318 in the previous edition of the game. Sunrisers Hyderabad is an exceptional team with an in-depth batting cushion within the Indian contingent. Kedar Jadhav adds experience, flexibility and solidity in the middle order. Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have always been the talk of the town for their wicket-taking abilities and economical bowling. As always SRH starts the season as underdogs.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Knight Riders look a more balanced and composed side. I rate them as a power-packed side with an elegance of class and mystery. Shakib Al-Hasan’s return has given them an edge over other teams. Especially in Chennai where KKR play their first three matches, the south-paw has the capabilities of dominating the game in all three sections. Like their opponents, KKR has an excellent blend of seamers and spinners walking into the tournament.
Pitch Conditions and Toss
Chennai wicket has always aided spinners, both sides have formidable spinners in their unit. The wicket will offer an excellent competition between bat and ball. The side winning the toss will again opt to bowl first. Considering the dew factor 175 looks like a par score.
Probable Playing XI
Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (C), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Vijay Shankar, Kedar Jadhav, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma and T Natarajan
Kolkata Knight Riders: Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (C), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Andre Russell, Shakib Al-Hasan, Pat Cummins, Harbhajan Singh, Prasidh Krishna and Varun Chakravarthy
Match Details
Match No 3 Indian Premier League 2021
Match: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Date & Time:11th April 2021, Sunday 7:30 PM IST
Live Telecast: Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar
Pivotal Players
Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner, Manish Pandey and Rashid Khan
Kolkata Knight Riders: Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell and Shakib Al-Hasan
Clean Hitters
Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner, Jonny Bairstow and Abdul Samad
Kolkata Knight Riders: Andre Russell, Eoin Morgan and Nitish Rana
Death Bowlers
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma and T Natarajan
Kolkata Knight Riders: Andre Russell, Pat Cummins and Prasidh Krishna
SRH vs KKR Dream11 Wicketkeepers
Jonny Bairstow is my first-choice keeper, I have selected him over Dinesh Karthik for the form that he has shown recently in the bilateral series against India. In case if any of my selected batsmen do not make it to the playing XI, I will replace him with Karthik. The KKR wicket-keeper plays majority of his domestic cricket in Chennai and has a good understanding of the wicket.
SRH vs KKR Dream11 Batsmen
Manish Pandey is my first-choice batsmen, Pandey has scored 120 runs in the last two matches he has played in Chennai at a strike rate of 138.4. David Warner and Eoin Morgan are the other two explosive batsmen that I have in my side. Both have the capabilities of accelerating right from the word go. More importantly both are good players of spin bowling. Nitish Rana is my fourth batsman for his abilities to rotate the strike and maneuver the KKR innings. Rana bats higher up the order which is an advantage in terms of Fantasy Points. It is advised to have more frontline batsmen from the side who are chasing a target.
SRH vs KKR Dream11 All-Rounders
KKR is blessed to have more match-winning utility players in their side. Shakib Al-Hasan is my first choice considering the nature of the wicket. My second choice is the Hulk of T20 cricket Andre Russell, on a given day he can murder bowlers on any surface.
SRH vs KKR Dream11 Bowlers
For a change, I have selected four bowlers. Rashid Khan and Varun Chakravarthy are my first-choice bowlers for obvious reasons. Both are T20 specialist bowlers, and I assume they will be able to make the most out of the Chepauk wicket. Harbhajan Singh is my third bowler who has immense experience; not only in the league but also of playing at Chepauk. was his home for two years while playing for CSK. I had a tough decision to make for the fourth option but due to budget constraints, I have selected T Natarajan over Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Fantasy League Disclaimer
All our selections are based on in-depth and astute analysis of the players partaking in the match, pitch report and a perusal of other reasoning. Please incorporate a slew of factors while crafting your own side with this article serving as a guide to the match and players.