Credit: X
Match Details
Date: May 21, 2024
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Live ball-by-ball commentary: SportsTiger
Match Preview:
After a gruelling league stage, the IPL enters the exciting playoffs which kick off with two of the best teams of 2024, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Both teams have dominated the league with a flamboyant aggressive approach and broke multiple records in 2024. In their only match of the 2024 season, KKR edged out SRH in a high-scoring thriller at the Eden Gardens.
Weather Report for May 18, 2024
Pitch Report
Analysis
The Kolkata Knight Riders finished number one in IPL 2024 with nine wins and only three losses while building a flawless XI. But in the playoffs, Kolkata will miss their star opener and wicketkeeper Phil Salt but still possess one of the best batting lineups in IPL history. Similarly in their bowling, KKR has a lot of variety and experience which would be crucial in this clash. Holding this team together will be Sunil Narine, who has had a dream season where he has scored over 400 runs and picked up 15 wickets.
Regarding the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Pat Cummins has changed the franchise's fortunes with his incredible leadership skills of allowing players to go out and play with absolute freedom. These methods have made SRH an unstoppable force which first attacks with an aggressive batting lineup with Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen in the top four. On the bowling front, Hyderabad have made massive improvements with T Natarajan and Bhubaneshwar Kumar improving as the tournament progressed alongside Cummins’ consistent performances.
Key Players
Author’s Picks
Probable XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy
Impact Substitute: Vaibhav Arora (if bowling first, replaces Rinku Singh)
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy, Rahul Tripathi, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Sanvir Singh, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, T Natarajan
Impact Substitute: Travis Head (if batting first, replaces T Natarajan)
Fantasy Teams
Grand League
Head-To-Head
Best 14
Wicketkeepers: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Heinrich Klaasen
Batters: Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer, Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Rinku Singh
All-Rounders: Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Nitish Reddy
Bowlers: T Natarajan, Pat Cummins, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy
Disclaimer: The cricket fantasy tips and facts expressed within this article are the author's personal opinions. They do not reflect the views of SportsTiger. It is not a reflection of the actual points you might earn. SportsTiger does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
