IPL 2024 – Match 3: KKR vs SRH Match Preview, Playing XI, Players to Watch, Key Stats
Pat Cummins will make his debut as Sunrisers Hyderabad captain.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will go head-to-head against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the third match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 in Kolkata on Saturday, March 23.
Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad both failed to qualify for the playoffs last season. KKR have a huge boost as their captain Shreyas Iyer is back in the IPL after injury ruled him out last season. SRH have appointed a new captain in Pat Cummins, who was bought for a whopping 20 crore in the auction.
The Eden Gardens have often been a stronghold for KKR over the years and the Knight Riders would be hoping to replicate the same this season as well.
Match Details:
| Date | 23 March 2024 |
| Time | 7:30 PM (IST) |
| Venue | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
Pitch Report
Gautam Gambhir’s arrival certainly signifies that KKR might want to go back to the spinning tracks that made them successful at home under Gambhir’s captaincy. A score of around 160-170 might be an even contest. Shreyas Iyer will look forward to making use of his spin bowling group effectively here. The Eden Gardens has always been a fast outfield.
KKR vs SRH PROBABLE PLAYING XI
Kolkata Knight Riders: Venkatesh Iyer, Phil Salt(wk), Nitish Rana, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Suyash Sharma.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, Umran Malik.
Key Batters To Watch for KKR vs SRH
Shreyas Iyer
The return of Shreyas Iyer was another massive news. Iyer who scored over 400 runs in his first year for the Knight Riders in 2022 will look to use this campaign to get himself back to the Indian team.
Heinrich Klaasen
Heinrich Klaasen looked stunning for SRH in 2023. He scored 448 runs in 12 matches at a marvellous strike rate of 177.07 and ended up as the leading run-getter for the team. This season, the SRH team management will want him to step up and produce match-winning knocks for his team while batting in the lower-middle order.
Andre Russell
He failed to be effective for Kolkata in 2023 but this season, he will have to shine with his bat to keep the KKR team management’s faith intact in him. The West Indies all-rounder displayed his batting power during the three-match T20 Internationals (T20I) series against Australia. With 109 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 231.91, he ended up as the highest-run scorer for the Windies side in the series.
Key Bowlers to Watch for KKR vs SRH
Bhuvaneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar will bolster SRH’s pace attack in the upcoming competition, along with his skipper Pat Cummins and Umran Malik. As an opening bowler, his responsibility will be to deliver early breakthroughs to the side. The speedster’s current form will bring cheers to the faces of SRH fans.
Mitchell Starc
Mitchell Starc made the headlines again after he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs. 24.75 crore in the IPL 2024 Auction, making the transfer the most expensive one in the history of the IPL auction. This will be the first time that Starc will be appearing in an IPL season since 2015 with the left-arm pacer’s participation hampered by a combination of injuries and prioritising his Test career.
Key Stats for KKR vs SRH
- At home in Kolkata, KKR have won six out of their nine games and SRH has won only three games.
- Return of Mitchell Starc in the IPL after nine years.
- Nitish Rana has scored 483 runs against SRH which is the highest from KKR’s side.
- Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is the leading wicket-taker with 24 wickets for SRH when it comes to playing against KKR.
