Public Relations Web Desk: Two-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will host Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Match 3 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Saturday, March 23. SRH finished a disappointing 10th in the IPL. Last year 2023 standings. The 2016 IPL champions will enter the upcoming season under new captain Pat Cummins and new head coach Daniel Vettori. On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer-led KKR will also be aiming to bounce back after a disappointing performance in IPL 2023. The team will be boosted by the return home of former captain Gautam Gambhir as a mentor.
Ahead of the thrilling encounter at the Eden Gardens, we take a look at the predicted XIs of both sides.
KKR’s probable XI
Phil Salt (wicketkeeper)
After his recent exploits with the bat in the West Indies tour, England wicketkeeper-batsman Phil Salt is expected to open for KKR. He has scored 5,308 runs in 228 T20 matches, making him an important player for any team.
Venkatesh Iyer
KKR will also rely on its talented opener Venkatesh Iyer to give a strong start. Venkatesh scored 404 runs in 14 matches last year and can also take wickets.
Shreyas Iyer (Captain)
Shreyas Iyer will return as KKR captain this season after being out last year due to injury. He has scored 2,776 runs in 101 IPL matches at an average of over 30.
Nitish Rana
Nitish Rana was one of the shining stars for KKR last year, scoring over 400 runs. The southpaw will play a key role in the middle order and will look to add to his 2,594 IPL runs so far.
Rinku Singh
Search for IPL 2023 Rinku Singh had a memorable campaign last year. The explosive batsman will once again play the role of finisher for KKR as they look to exceed the 474 runs he scored for the team in IPL 2023.
Andre Russell
Star all-rounder Andre Russell will be eager to make his mark for KKR in IPL 2024. He has scored more than 2,000 runs in the IPL and taken 96 wickets, so it will not be easy to include this explosive all-rounder in the team.
Sunil Narine
As always, Sunil Narine was efficient with the ball in IPL 2023 and will be aiming to deliver more match-winning performances for KKR this season as he looks to add to his 163 wickets in the league.
Mitchell Starc
Mitchell Starc, who was bought for a hefty price of Rs 24.75 crore, will lead KKR’s bowling unit. Starc has taken 34 wickets in the two IPL seasons played and will be the go-to bowler for the two-time champions.
Varun Chakraborty
Varun Chakravarthy returned for KKR last year with 20 wickets in 14 matches and will once again be a big threat to the opposition batsmen with his spin and trickery.
Harshit Rana
Harshit Rana has performed well in the Ranji Trophy this year and could be a regular starter for KKR this season as he takes six wickets in the IPL so far.
Suyash Sharma
Suyyash Sharma performed brilliantly last year and will play a key role in the spin department for KKR in IPL 2024. He took 10 wickets last year and will hope for more in the new campaign.
travis head
Travis Head played a key role in Australia’s ODI World Cup victory in 2023. He is expected to perform well for SRH in IPL 2024 as well and has scored 2,596 runs in 110 T20 matches.
Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal had a good first-class season for Karnataka. The 33-year-old is a strong contender to become SRH’s opening batsman and has scored 2,597 runs in 123 IPL games.
Abhishek Sharma
After impressing for Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024, Abhishek Sharma is an easy choice in the SRH lineup and the explosive batsman will be expected to improve on his IPL 2022 campaign where he scored 426 runs – the most runs in a season.
aiden markram
SA20-winning captain Aiden Markram will add both power and toughness to the SRH batting unit in IPL 2024. Still looking to deliver his best performance in the IPL, the upcoming season could be the year he does well for SRH.
Rahul Tripathi
Rahul Tripathi had a very disappointing campaign last year, but he will be preparing for another solid season this time. He has scored 2,071 runs in 89 IPL matches.
Heinrich Klaasen (wicketkeeper)
Heinrich Klaasen has been in great form for quite some time now and the hard-hitter will have to play a major role in SRH’s middle order. He scored 448 runs in 12 IPL matches last season and will look to better those figures in the new season.
washington beautiful
Washington Sundar missed out on IPL 2023 due to injury, but his all-round ability that enables him to contribute with bat and ball makes him a player to watch this season.
Pat Cummins (captain)
Pat Cummins had a great 2023 as Australia’s World Cup-winning captain, who also retained the Ashes. Cummins, a born leader who can contribute runs and take wickets, is expected to at least take SRH to the playoffs.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Indian veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been the driving force for SRH’s pace attack all these years.
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2024-03-23 11:58:21