Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey

IPL 2020 Match 8: KKR vs SRH Preview Dream11 Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | KKR vs SRH Dream11 Prediction Today | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Key Players | Abu Dhabi Pitch Report

What was that? IPL 2020 was going to be ultra competitive? After one week, six teams have won at least one game each, with two teams left. And those two teams will play today in what promises to be an interesting match.

Kolkata Knight Riders, who were very busy in the auction, had a poor start to the tournament against Mumbai Indians. Captain Dinesh Karthik, whom Sunil Gavaskar says the spotlight is on given Eoin Morgan can captain, has called for calm, particularly around record purchase Pat Cummins’ performance. KKR have a few questions regarding their team balance, particularly with Sunil Narine struggling against the short ball, as well as the make up of their bowling attack. They will look to answer some of those questions today.

The concern with Sunrisers Hyderabad leading into IPL 2020 was their middle order. What would happen after their top three? Can their middle lead them to victory? Their collapse against RCB in their tournament opener turned those fears into reality, and then seeing RCB capitulate against KXIP would not have improved the mood. If Kane Williamson is fit, does he play in place of the injured Mitch Marsh? The calls are growing louder, so like KKR, SRH need to figure out their team composition sooner rather than later.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

• David Warner was out in unlucky fashion vs RCB. He is always a threat in IPL, and KKR know this, as he has the most runs in KKR-SRH matches (533, avg. 44.42).
• Jonny Bairstow, who scored 61 (42) vs RCB, loved the KKR bowling in IPL 2019. His two scores against them last season: 39 (35) and 80* (43).
• Andre Russell will be in the spotlight as KKR look to bounce back. He strikes at 164.52 when he plays for KKR against SRH, and this includes a superb 49* off 19 balls against this opposition in 2019. However, he averages just 15 against them. Can he improve on this?
• Sunil Narine is also in the spotlight. He struggles against the short ball in his time as an IPL opener: 76 balls, 13 dismissals, an average of 7.53. But, SRH don’t have express pace bowling, so he could benefit.
• Also, Narine and Kuldeep Yadav each have 10 wickets against SRH – the most of any current Kolkata players.
• Shubman Gill failed in his first match of the season, but he remains one to watch. In seven innings as an IPL opener, he has scored 243 runs at 40.50, with three fifties.
• Manish Pandey is crucial for SRH. He enjoyed a strong 2019 season, where he scored 344 runs at an average of 43.00 (SR 130.79). However, can he overcome his underwhelming record vs KKR? (9 matches, 138 runs, avg. 19.71).
• Does Mohammad Nabi come in for SRH? If so, SRH will be bringing in an experienced off-spinner, who took 12 wickets in as many games in the recent CPL.
• Shivam Mavi showed great signs in his opening game of IPL 2020, taking 2/32.
• Will SRH play Khaleel Ahmed? He has the kind of pace that could trouble Sunil Narine. Also, Khaleel took 19 wickets in just nine matches in 2019, including 3/33 vs KKR.
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar has the most wickets in SRH-KKR matches (19).
• Can Pat Cummins bounce back? He has been out of touch dating back to the England series, but he has the class to bounce back.

Stats and Facts

• Head-to-head: Matches 17, KKR 10, SRH 7.
• No team has won consecutive matches against the other in the last nine matches. SRH won the last game against KKR, so will it be KKR to win today to keep that trend going?
• Rashid Khan has dismissed Andre Russell three times in 25 balls in IPL cricket. However, Russell strikes at 184 against him. It promises to be a good battle, should it happen.
• David Warner struggled against the express pace of Jofra Archer in England. So, there is a case for KKR to test Warner right away with pace via the likes of Pat Cummins and Shivam Mavi.
• Kuldeep Yadav has taken just four wickets in his last 10 IPL innings, so this is an important game for him. Could he have success today against SRH’s middle order, which struggled badly against Yuzvendra Chahal?

Possible Playing 11

Prasidh Krishna is waiting in the wings and can bowl a good yorker. Also, it remains to be seen if KKR stick with Nikhil Naik or bring in Rahul Tripathi.

Kolkata Knight Riders: 1. Sunil Narine, 2. Shubman Gill, 3. Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), 4. Nitish Rana, 5. Eoin Morgan, 6. Andre Russell, 7. Nikhil Naik/Rahul Tripathi, 8. Pat Cummins, 9. Kuldeep Yadav, 10. Shivam Mavi, 11. Sandeep Warrier/Prasidh Krishna

Mohammad Nabi or Kane Williamson? If Williamson is fit enough, SRH could be tempted to play him given the collapse in the last game vs RCB.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1. Jonny Bairstow (wk), 2. David Warner (c), 3. Manish Pandey, 4. Priyam Garg, 5. Kane Williamson/Mohammad Nabi, 6. Vijay Shankar, 7. Abhishek Sharma, 8. Rashid Khan, 9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10. Sandeep Sharma, 11. T Natarajan/Khaleel Ahmed

Abu Dhabi Pitch and Weather Report

The two scores at Abu Dhabi so far in IPL 2020 are 162/9 and 195/5. Both the team setting a score and chasing have won one game each. However, the team batting first has been most successful in IPL 2020, winning the last six matches since CSK successfully chased 163 vs MI in the first game.

The Abu Dhabi track is expected to be another good one for batting, with a grass covering expected. The weather will be hot again, with dew to come in later in the evening. So, the captain who wins the toss will have a challenging decision to make.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

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Match Prediction

Strong score by the team batting first to seal a win? It has been the trend in IPL 2020 so far, and both sides will perhaps look more comfortable setting a score. If KKR’s powerful middle order can come to the party, they will be very hard to beat.

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