In today's match to decide who takes on CSK in IPL 2018 final on May 27, KKR will have momentum on their side. They have won 4 matches in a row, while SRH have lost as many. Catch live match updates
In Qualifier 2 of Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL 2018) Kane Williamson-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will take on Dinesh Karthik's Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday. A two-time champion, KKR will be aiming to exploit SRH's recent run of poor form when the two teams square off in what promises to be a high-octane IPL Qualifier 2 match. KKR stormed into the IPL Qualifier 2 by defeating Rajasthan Royals by 25 runs at the same venue, while Sunrisers Hyderabad lost to Chennai Super Kings by 2 wickets in a nail-biting encounter in Mumbai in Qualifier 1. SRH got the benefit of being one of the top two teams in Vivo IPL points table and received a second shot at qualifying for the final tie, while Rajasthan, which entered the playoffs ranked fourth were knocked out.
KKR have ticked all the right boxes in theior past few IPL 2018 matches, with four wins on trot. Table-toppers Sunrisers, on the other hand, have slipped after finishing on top of the league table; they now have 4 consecutive lost matches behind them.
Call it complacency or the lack of performance from their middle order, SRH have lost four straight games, something that will be a cause for concern to Kane Williamson's team. Arguably the best bowling side of IPL 2018, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddharth Kaul and Sandeep Sharma delivering consistently along with the immensely talented Rashid Khan, Sunrisers will like to extract whatever juice is available from the Eden Gardens track.
Who has the edge in the KKR vs SRH qualifier 2?
The momentum is strongly in favour of Dinesh Karthik’s Kolkata Knight Riders, which will also heavily bank on their home advantage. So, it will need a special effort from the Kane Williamson-led side to stop the resurgent KKR and return to winning ways. If they do, they will meet Chennai Super Kings in the final match, to be played on Sunday (May 27) and have a fair chance of avenging their losses in the past three IPL 2018 games played against the M S Dhoni-led side.
The first to qualify for the IPL 2018 playoffs after eliminating Delhi Daredevils, Sunrisers Hyderabad began to see a slide in Pune, when their famed bowling attack failed to defend 180 against Chennai Super Kings. Then, they went on to lose to RCB, KKR and again CSK in subsequent games. SRH’s problem has been their batting, heavily reliant on skipper Kane Williamson, the current 'Orange Cap' holder with 685 runs at an average of 57.05. Their latest defeat in Qualifier 1 will hurt them the most as they had the match in their pocket, with CSK struggling at 113/8 in 18 overs while chasing 140. But Williamson's strategy to get Carlos Brathwaite to bowl an over at the death backfired. The West Indian leaked 20 runs in the 18th over. Hyderabad will now have the big selection headache as they decide on the fifth and sixth bowler for today's match.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (9 wickets) will also need to get his act together and complement the Afghan wrist spinner Rashid Khan (18 wickets). Siddharth Kaul (19 wickets) has been SRH's best bowler in IPL 2018, with consistent efforts at the start and death overs. Williamson will also have some big holes to plug in the batting department. Out for a 'golden duck' against CSK, Shikhar Dhawan (437 runs) will have to rise to the occasion, but it is the middle order that has created more problems for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Manish Pandey (284) and Yusuf Pathan (212) have been flops and their inability to provide the necessary muscle in the middle overs is a concern.
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