Iyer's return, Cummins vs Starc the subplots as KKR take on SRH
Written by I Dig Sports
Match details
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Kolkata, 1930 IST (1400 GMT)
Big picture - Cummins vs Starc
On the first weekend of IPL 2024, those two will come face-to-face in Kolkata.
Cummins had a dream 2023, where he led Australia to the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup titles. But this is his first captaincy stint in T20 cricket, and leading an IPL team is vastly different from leading a national side. And while Cummins the bowler is already on the path to greatness in Test cricket, the same cannot be said about him in T20s.
One man who played a key role in Cummins' success as Australia captain last year was Starc. For KKR, he will have to play an even bigger role as there is no other world-class seamer in the squad.
The last time Starc featured in the IPL was in 2015. Playing for RCB, he had picked up 20 wickets in 13 games at an economy of 6.76. Since then, he has gone for 8.14 an over in 41 T20Is. During the 2022 T20 World Cup, Australia even left him out for a match. With the next T20 World Cup in June, he, too, has a point to prove.
Team news - Shreyas Iyer back for KKR
Wanindu Hasaranga is unavailable at least for the first game. His status is a little unclear, since he is in Sri Lanka's Test squad in Bangladesh but can't really play those games as he is serving an ICC suspension. In a way, his absence makes Cummins' task of picking four overseas players easier.
Impact Player strategy
Kolkata Knight Riders
If KKR bat first, they can start with Nitish Rana. In the second innings, Suyash Sharma can replace him as Impact Player. The opposite can be done if they bowl first.
Probable XII: 1 Venkatesh Iyer, 2 Phil Salt (wk), 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Rinku Singh, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Ramandeep Singh, 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Harshit Rana, 11 Varun Chakravarthy, 12 Suyash Sharma
There is arguably a better strategy if a team bats first. For example, if KKR are batting first, Ramandeep Singh can come in as Impact Player for a dismissed Nitish, if required. If there is no such need, Vaibhav Arora can replace Nitish at the start of the second innings to further bolster the bowling.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
If SRH are batting first, they can start with Abdul Samad and replace him with T Natarajan in the second half. Vice versa if they bowl first.
Probable XII: 1 Abhishek Sharma/Mayank Agarwal, 2 Travis Head, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Mayank Markande, 11 Umran Malik, 12 T Natarajan
Or, if they are batting first, they can bring in Abdul Samad for a dismissed Rahul Tripathi, if required. Else, Jaydev Unadkat can replace Tripathi in the second innings.
Stats that matter - Russell vs Klaasen
- Among those who have hit at least 50 sixes in the last 12 months, Andre Russell has done it most frequently, clearing the boundary once every 6.1 balls. Heinrich Klaasen is second on the list, with 7.3 balls per six
- Russell and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be up against each other at the death - a match-up Russell enjoys. He has smashed Bhuvneshwar for 72 runs off 34 balls (strike rate 211.76) while getting out twice
- Shreyas Iyer has struggled against Bhuvneshwar and Umran Malik. Against Bhuvneshwar, he has scored only 44 runs in 49 balls in T20s while getting out three times. Against Malik, it's two dismissals in 15 balls for 16 runs
- Since the start of 2020, Iyer has had a strike of 119.34 against legspin. SRH have Mayank Markande to exploit that weakness
- Mayank Agarwal has a sub-par record against most of the KKR bowlers: 12 runs in 17 balls (1 dismissal) against Mitchell Starc, 15 runs in 19 balls (1 dismissal) against Varun Chakravarthy, 22 runs in 24 balls (three dismissals) against Russell and 40 runs in 32 balls (two dismissals) against Sunil Narine
- KKR were the most expensive side in the powerplay last season, with an economy of 9.78. SRH were just below them, with 9.29. Both teams will be keen to correct that
Pitch and conditions
KKR won only two out of seven home games last season. Their bowling attack revolved around their spinners but the pitches were not helpful. However, during the 2023 ODI World Cup, Kolkata turned out to be the most spin-friendly venue. Given spin is once again KKR's stronger suit, expect the pitch for Saturday's match to be on the slower side. The temperature will hover around 25C, with little chance of dew.
Quotes
"Right now, I feel I am in the best shape possible. I have been doing my training regularly, I have been hitting the balls, and I have been batting for longer periods of time. That's something I am thriving on. I don't want to think about what the doctor has said, what the injury was, because when you put your focus on the injury, you forget what you are doing the best. I want to put all these things aside and focus on what's there on the plate."
Shreyas Iyer on his back injury
"It's one of the beauties of the IPL - I have been playing with Starcy for 15 years, [and] I can't remember another game where I have played against him. Also, it's going to be weird looking across and seeing him in the other dugout. And yeah, being an opposition captain, seeing how we go about playing him will be an interesting part of tomorrow."
Pat Cummins on playing against Starc
Hemant Brar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
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