The Kolkata Knight Riders brace for battle against Sunrisers Hyderabad here in the afterglow of Rinku Singh’s breathtaking five sixes in-a-row at Ahmedabad last Sunday. So much so that even Shardul Thakur’s brilliant counterattack that paved the way for what had looked a most unlikely victory against RCB less than 10 days ago seems a distant memory for KKR fans.
When they troop onto the Eden Gardens terraces on Friday, a large number will have come to see the self-effacing 25-year-old from Aligarh, this time in a different light.
KKR’s 200-plus chases
While resurrection has been a theme in their two wins thus far in IPL-16, and has made for compelling stories, the Knights will know that it’s a path paved in vulnerability. Back-to-back chases of 200-plus targets have put a glow around KKR batting, but those up the order need to do enough to ensure that the latter half of the innings is not always about ‘Mission Impossible’.
Against a resurgent Sunrisers, who tasted their first victory on Sunday, there will be sustained pressure from a balanced bowling unit that is bubbly on the back of a confidence-boosting Sunday evening show against the Punjab Kings.
It doesn’t help the home team that the bounce and ‘carry’ in the Eden wicket are likely to lend themselves nicely to the potent pace trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen and Umran Malik. Mayank Markande, who picked up four for 15, presents a different challenge with his mix of leg-spin and googly.
The 25-year-old, coming in for England’s Adil Rashid, has helped South Africa’s Jansen slip into the ‘overseas’ slot thus freed, the lanky left-armer adding both variety and viciousness to the attack.
Also read: IPL 2023: Rinku used KKR skipper Rana’s bat for five sixes
SRH’s weak batting
The batting is proving to be Sunrisers’ weak link despite some serious firepower in their line-up. On Friday, they will have to contend with the likes of Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Suyash Sharma.
The spin trio had snared nine wickets when they last operated together at this venue. KKR have been more fortunate, escaping to victory from hopeless holes with incredible knocks that came out of the blue.
While Venkatesh Iyer and skipper Nitish Rana came into their own on Sunday to lend more stability, it’s Andre Russell that fans are waiting for.
Russell needs calm approach
The burly Jamaican did muscle his way to a 19-ball 35 in Mohali, but has since looked more desperate than deadly with the bat. Dre Russ would do well to embrace the calm and collected approach Rinku brings amidst the storm.
