It will certainly be exciting to witness some of the best in the business battling it out for supremacy, on the back of fine performances.
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SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are set to face off in their respective opening matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. Both the teams have emerged victorious in the cash-rich league in the past. The Hyderabad-based franchise has won the IPL on two occasions, first in 2009 when they were known as Deccan Chargers and secondly in 2016 in their original avatar. KKR have similarly won the cash-rich league on two occasions, first in 2012 and secondly in 2014. SunRisers have been a very consistent team in the IPL reaching the playoffs for the past 5 years. KKR have a squad that can upset anyone on their day.
Here’s a look at the five key battles going into the match:
The in-form SunRisers Hyderabad opener will up be against pacer Prasidh Krishna, who has been quite impressive lately. The two players were in superb form during the recently concluded ODI series between India vs England. They will look to maintain the same momentum in IPL 2021, which will make the clash between two top players a joy to behold.
The Windies all-rounder can smash the ball to all corners of the ground on his day, which indicates how destructive he is. Bhuvneshwar Kumar can be equally difficult to score runs off when in rhythm, considering his variations and ability to bowl yorkers consistently.
Owing to his batting position, Eoin Morgan is likely to face Rashid Khan. Morgan comes out to bat in the middle order, while Rashid Khan will be bowling the slog overs. This sets the stage for an enticing face-off, considering Morgan’s ability to defuse the confidence of the bowler and Rashid’s unplayable deliveries.
KKR often use Sunil Narine in the powerplay overs in order to get some early wickets. The same may be the case in the spin-friendly Chennai’s Chepauk Stadium. This may set him up in a direct match up against David Warner, who likes to go after every bowler. Warner has scored 48 fifties in the IPL which is the most by any batsman.
KKR opening batsman Shubman Gill might well face off against SunRisers Hyderabad bowler T Natarajan, who has been in excellent form for India in the last few months. Natarajan is expected to bowl those tough yorkers against Gill. However, Gill has faced Natarajan in the nets while playing for India and is a superb batsman when in form. He is unlikely to give away his wicket easily.
