Who will be the second finalist of 2018 IPL?
What's the story
Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders will lock horns in the penultimate match of 2018 IPL, which will determine the second finalist of the tournament. Sunrisers Hyderabad have plenty to ponder over after losing their last 4 games, whereas, Kolkata Knight Riders are gaining momentum at the right time with 4 back to back wins. Who holds the edge tonight? Here's our report.
Head-to-head
History clearly favors Kolkata Knight Riders
Sunrisers and Knight Riders have locked horns on 14 occasions in the past. In these 14 encounters, Knight Riders have clinched 9 wins as compared to Hyderabad's 5 victories. At the Eden Gardens, the record heavily favors the Knight Riders, as they have won 5 of the six matches that these sides have played here. In 2018 edition, the head-to-head record reads 1-1.
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Kolkata Knight Riders: Probable Playing XI
Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (captain and wicket-keeper), Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Javon Searles, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna.
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Sunrisers Hyderabad: Probable Playing XI
Shikhar Dhawan, Shreevats Goswami (wicket-keeper), Kane Williamson (captain), Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Carlos Brathwaite, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma and Siddarth Kaul.
Interesting face-offs
Rashid Khan has never got the better of Uthappa
Rashid Khan might be the number one T20 bowler in the world but Robin Uthappa has never struggled against him. Uthappa has faced 31 deliveries without ever getting-out off Rashid. He has scored 58 runs at a strike-rate of 187. Dhawan enjoys playing against Piyush Chawla, and has scored at a strike-rate of 146. Chawla has never been able to dismiss Dhawan in IPL.
Spin friendly wicket
Spinners will dictate the play tonight
The two sides have a spin-heavy attack this season with the spinners leading the wicket charts for them. KKR spinners have bagged 48 wickets while SRH spinners have claimed 33. The Eden Gardens has been the most spin-friendly wicket with spinners picking 51 wickets at the venue. A spinner has claimed a wicket here at a bowling strike rate of almost 17.
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Guide to picking your Dream XI
Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson (captain), Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Dinesh Karthik, Sunil Narine (vice-captain), Shakib Al Hasan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna.