×

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), IPL 2016 Eliminator at Delhi: Key clashes

Kolkata Knight Riders' chances will get a boost as Andre Russell returns to the side before eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad

Related articles

Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad to play eliminator at Delhi ©AFP
Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad to play eliminator at Delhi ©AFP

The first eliminator of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016 is about to go underway as Kolkata Knight Riders go up against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi. The stakes are higher than ever as these two teams go into the eliminator. Both teams have struggled to make it into the final four and this fixture will decide who gets knocked out of the tournament. The winner will be facing Gujarat Lions in the semi-final. Both, KKR and SRH managed to win eight matches in this IPL and booked their berth in the last league match. The outcome of this match will depend on a lot of key clashes:  FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2016 playoffs, Eliminator at Delhi

David Warner vs Morne Morkel: Warner has been brilliant in this tournament, both with the bat and his captaincy. He is the leading run scorer for SRH with 658 runs in 14 matches at an average of 54.83 with the help of seven half centuries, the most by any batsman in this IPL. Morkel has been in and out of the side but has provide breakthroughs early on in the innings. A lot depends on his first spell and how he contains Warner or sends him back to the pavilion. His skipper Gautam Gambhir will be banking on his services tonight.

Gautam Gambhir vs Mustafizur Rehman: The skipper needs to lead his team from the front tonight. He is currently the leading run scorer for KKR with 473 runs at an average of 39.41 with the help of five half centuries. On the other hand Mustafizur has played exceptionally well in this IPL with 16 under his belt. His change of pace is hard to detect and posed problems for even the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. He is the reason why Trent Boult has been on the bench in this IPL. His economy rate of 6.71 is enough to tell you the tales of his heroics at the death. With veteran bowler Ashish Nehra ruled out of IPL, the young chap has a lot on his shoulders.

Yusuf Pathan vs Moises Henriques: Yusuf is back to his destructive nature this IPL having scored 359 runs in 12 innings. His 63 from 29 balls is a highlight of this edition. If he gets going, KKR will have a better chance to win this match. On the contrary Henriques hasn’t been able to justify his all-rounder tag with only 131 runs in this season. However, he has been quite handy with the ball in the middle.

Yuvraj Singh vs Andre Russell: This key clash holds utmost importance in this match if SRH lose wickets early on in the innings. Yuvraj’s cameos have helped SRH in recent times and also bowled a couple of overs every now and then if one of their bowlers is having a bad day at office. Russell has a similar role in KKR’s side with a bit more emphasis on his bowling. His return in the side will boost KKR’s chances to meet Gujarat Lions in the semi-final.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar vs Shakib Al Hasan: Bhuvneshwar is in the hunt for Purple Cap with 18 wickets in this season. He has been brilliant picking wickets in powerplay overs and at the death overs. His yorkers have become more frequent and has evolved as a bowling spearhead for SRH. Shakib’s adventure with the ball hasn’t been successful but his cameos with the bat have helped KKR. A battle between these two sub-continent will be decisive in nature if KKR lose wickets in a jiffy.

(Arun Rawal, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a daydreamer, movie buff, and cricket fanatic. He could not play cricket, so did the next best thing, writing for it. He loves to play the flick shot over square leg, and believes Sachin Tendulkar is God. His twitter handle is @ArunRawal93)

trending this week