IPL 2024 – Qualifier 1: KKR vs SRH Match Preview, Playing XI, Players to Watch, Key Stats

It’s time for the IPL Playoffs, and qualifier 1 is all set to be played between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Narendra Modi Stadium on 21st May, Tuesday.

Kolkata Knight Riders lost just 3 matches in the league stage and won 9 matches. Against SRH, they had a close finish, and they almost lost the match, but Harshit Rana defended 12 runs in the last over and ensured a win for his team.

Sunrisers Hyderabad won 8 matches in the league stage, and their fearless batting was the most discussed topic of IPL 2024. They registered the highest IPL total of 287/3 against RCB, and on the other side, KKR also registered a huge total of 272/7 against DC.

Match Details:

• Date: 21 May 2024
• Time: 7:30 PM IST
• Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium

KKR will open with Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who will also keep wickets. But KKR will need their skipper Shreyas Iyer to step up now; his strike rate has been just 135, and he has scored 287 runs from 12 innings. Andre Russell has good records against SRH, and he might bat a bit up the order in the match.

SRH played with an extra batter against PBKS in their last league match, but against KKR, they will need a genuine bowler. In that case, Jaydev Unadkat could replace Sanvir Singh or Rahul Tripathi. Tripathi might continue in the XI as he has the experience of facing Varun and Narine, which can come in handy for SRH.

KKR vs SRH Probable Playing XI:

KKR Probable Playing XI

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy

Impact Player – Vaibhav Arora/Anukul Roy

SRH Probable Playing XI

Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy, Rahul Tripathi, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, T Natarajan

Impact Player – Travis Head

Key Batters to Watch for KKR vs SRH:

Abhishek Sharma

Abhishek Sharma has smashed 41 sixes this season, which is the most by any batter. His strike rate has been 209, and at this strike rate, he has scored 467 runs. Abhishek is a beast against spinners; his strike rate against them is 232. His performance against Narine and Varun will leave a huge impact on the match.

Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine got run out against SRH in the league stage match, but since then, he has scored runs at a strike rate of 183. He has scored a century, 3 fifties, and 32 sixes. Narine’s wicket will be crucial for SRH because nowadays he doesn’t play 10-12 balls cameos; he looks to play long innings at a high strike rate.

Key Bowlers to Watch for KKR vs SRH:

Varun Chakravarthy

Varun Chakravarthy has taken 18 wickets from 12 innings for KKR this season, and his economy rate has been just 8.3 runs per over. In the first match against SRH, Varun was taken to the cleaners. He will be fired up to deliver a good performance this time, especially against Klaasen and Abhishek.

T Natarajan

T Natarajan has taken the most number of wickets for SRH this season with 17 wickets to his name from 11 innings at an economy rate of 9.2. The last time SRH faced KKR, he took 3 wickets. Natarajan against the finishers of KKR will be a great battle.