Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad will come up against each other in the penultimate match of VIVO IPL 2018 at the Eden Gardens here on Friday.
Qualifier 2 is the last hurdle before one of these teams can progress to the title clash. The Sunrisers need to arrest their four-match losing streak if they hope to make the
final. Prior to their four back-to-back losses, SRH were on a roll; they had won 8 of their
first ten matches, had stitched together their longest winning streak (6 matches), and
became the first team to secure a playoff berth.
Their form has fallen away alarmingly. In the first three losses, the bowlers came under the pump, while in the recent loss to CSK in Qualifier 1, the batting came apart altogether.Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders's journey is just the opposite; they are on a four-match winning streak and have the right kind of momentum.
Most recently, in the Eliminator, they defeated the Rajasthan Royals, who at one stage were comfortably placed in their run-chase. That is what momentum can do; KKR got one little opening when Ajinkya Rahane was dismissed, and they seized that opportunity and forced a win.
The captains are the two team's top run-getters this season. Kane Williamson and Dinesh Karthik have led by example for SRH and KKR respectively; Williamson's aggregate of 685 runs equates to 28.9 per cent of his team's runs, while Karthik's aggregate of 490 runs equates to 18.9 per cent of KKR's runs.
Sunil Narine has been a big contributor to KKR's success too; on days he has fired at the top of the innings ? which has occurred quite frequently this season ? he has helped KKR gain the early momentum.
No target is beyond the reach of, and no cause is lost until the two all-rounders from the Caribbean are at the crease. Carlos Brathwaite and Andre Russell are capable of doing plenty of damage with the bat in double quick time. Both players will be high on confidence after their recent knocks; Brathwaite scored 43 off 29 balls against CSK, while Russell destroyed the Rajasthan Royals with his 25-ball 49.(UNI)
