IPL 2021: KKR gears up for high-voltage opening clash against SRH today

Kolkata: It promises to be a blockbuster Sunday for millions of fans all across the world as the Kolkata Knight Riders start their Indian Premier League 2021 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium, reports said.

After winning the championship in 2012 and 2014, the boys in Purple and Gold will be gunning for their third title as they set foot at the Chepauk for the opening encounter.

The last time these two sides crossed paths, KKR triumphed in a thrilling encounter, courtesy some superlative bowling from Lockie Ferguson in a Super Over.

The batting unit looks formidable, with the likes of Shubman Gill and Dinesh Karthik in prime form. The duo, along with skipper Eoin Morgan and Andre Russell, will shoulder the bulk of the batting responsibility of the side.

The pitch in Chennai is known to assist the spinners, and the Knights possess the one of best spin attacks in the tournament. With the likes of Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, and now Shakib Al Hasan and Harbhajan Singh in the ranks, KKR will have very little worries when it comes to choosing their spin options.

With some promising new faces in the side, post a successful auction, the Knights have all the bases covered before they start a brand new season of high-octane cricket.

Sunriser’s Hyderabad, on the other hand, will rely heavily on the experience of their international stars, David Warner and Kane Williamson, at the top of the order.

The bowling unit has been the strength of the side, and the inclusion of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T. Natarajan, post a successful series against England, will be a massive boost coming into the first game of the season.

KKR Squad: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Tim Seifert, Rahul Tripathi, Rinku Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan (c), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun CV, Kuldeep Yadav, Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna, Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Karun Nair, Harbhajan Singh, Ben Cutting, Venkatesh Iyer, Pawan Negi

SRH Squad: David Warner (c), Kane Williamson, Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey, Sreevats Goswami, Wriddhiman Saha, Priyam Garg, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Virat Singh, Mitchell Marsh, Jason Holder, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T. Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Jagadeesha Suchith, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman. (UNI)