The brawling 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is well underway, after a belter of an opening ceremony on Friday. The first match saw the defending champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), clash with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The day brings the season's first double-header, featuring two cracking encounters.
Punjab Kings Take on Delhi Capitals in Mohali
The first belter
of the double-header will see the Punjab Kings go head-to-head with the Delhi
Capitals in Mohali. 3:30 p.m. IST is when the game is supposed to start.
KKR Aim for Eden Gardens Supremacy Against Hyderabad
The second match
promises to be a right stramash, with the two-time champions, Kolkata Knight
Riders (KKR), locking horns with the 2016 champions, Sunrisers Hyderabad. Let's
examine this much-awaited fight in more detail.
Fresh Faces at the Helm: A Tale of Two Captains
KKR, who were
there at the very beginning of the IPL back in 2008 (where Brendon McCullum
smashed a blateer of a 158), will be led by a new skipper this season. Shreyas
Iyer, who previously captained the Delhi Capitals, takes charge of the Knight
Riders for the first time.
On the other
side of the coin, the 2016 champions, Sunrisers Hyderabad, began their IPL
journey in 2013. Hyderabad's cricketing legacy actually goes back to the Deccan
Chargers, who clinched the title in 2009 under Adam Gilchrist's leadership. In
2016, David Warner led the Sunrisers to IPL glory. This time around, the
captaincy falls upon Australia's Pat Cummins, who has the hefty responsibility
of replicating Warner's feat after an eight-year gap. Notably, this will be
Cummins' first stint as captain in the IPL.
Russell: Hyderabad's Bowling Ballyhoo
KKR's Andre
Russell boasts the most wickets taken against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, a
whopping 17. Sunil Narine follows closely behind with 11 scalps, although these
came across 22 matches.
Nitish Rana reigns
supreme among KKR's batsmen against Hyderabad, having amassed a hefty 537 runs
in 15 matches. Manish Pandey trails closely behind with 351 runs scored across
14 matches. These four players have the potential to shine once again against
Hyderabad today.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: Kolkata's Wicket-Taking Wizard
Hyderabad's pace
spearhead, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, holds the record for most wickets taken against
Kolkata in the IPL. With 27 games played, he has an incredible 32 scalps.
Hyderabad needs Bhuvi to do really well if they want to win today. Following
him is Thangarasu Natarajan, who has bagged 11 wickets in just seven matches.
Head-to-Head: Kolkata Holds the Upper Hand
Historically,
Kolkata has dominated the head-to-head record against Hyderabad. In the 25 IPL matches
played between the two sides, Kolkata has emerged victorious on 15 occasions,
while Hyderabad has managed to clinch nine wins. There's also been a solitary
tie between the two teams.
Eden Gardens: Kolkata's Fortress
Hyderabad's
struggles against Kolkata are further amplified when considering their
performance at Kolkata's Eden Gardens Stadium. They've only managed to secure
three wins in nine matches played there. Conversely, Kolkata enjoys a win rate
of 54% on their home ground, having triumphed in 47 out of 81 matches.
Pitch Report: Spin to Take Center Stage?
Kolkata's pitch
traditionally offers some assistance to both pace and spin bowlers. However,
last season witnessed a flurry of runs being scored here. While the pitches
generally favor batsmen, spin bowling might take center stage this time around.
This is especially true considering Kolkata's arsenal of top-class spinners,
including Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, and Suyyash Sharma.
Weather Forecast: Hot and Humid with a Chance of
Dew
Kolkata is
expected to witness hot and humid conditions on Saturday evening, with minimal
rain forecast. Dew might settle in during the second inning, prompting the team
winning the toss to opt for chasing.
Possible
playing XIs
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Pat Cummins (c), Mayank Agarwal, Travis Head,
Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, and Heinrich Klaasen
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