Pat Cummins’s SRH aim to silence KKR brigade in Ahmedabad

“Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahi, namumkin hai”

One of Shahrukh Khan’s most famous dialogues best describes Kolkata Knight Riders’ season thus far in this year’s Indian Premier League. If you were wondering what that line meant, it isn’t tough to catch KKR; it is impossible. 

KKR have been the team to beat in this year’s competition. Several teams have come close; some have done it, but most have just been on the receiving end of some carnage. But if there was ever one person in this world who loves a challenge, it is Pat Cummins.

He has this history of silencing the crowd quite a few times. Nothing, though, could be more significant than this moment for Cummins, the T20 captain. If his team beat a rampant KKR side, SRH will find themselves in a final for the first time since the 2018 season. 

Ironically, Qualifier 1 is in Ahmedabad, where Cummins’ famous silencing act took place nearly seven months ago. 

KKR vs SRH Head-to-Head

Overall: Matches 26 | KKR 17 | SRH 9

Since 2022: Matches 5 | KKR 3 | SRH 2

Playoffs: Matches 3 | KKR 1 | SRH 2

Venue Details and Weather Conditions

We are back to normal. The Indian summer, which began to cry, has gone back to summering brutally. It was 43 degrees on May 20, and 44 degrees are expected on May 21 (Tuesday), the day of the Qualifier.

Due to a washout, only six matches have been played at the venue this year. Four out of the six times teams have been chasing have been on the winning side, so expect nothing different on Tuesday.

The average first innings-winning score has been 200/5, so the team batting first would want to set at least a 200+ target. Pacers have picked up 43 wickets (69.4%), while the spinners have the better economy (9). KKR’s record at the venue is far superior, with three wins against SRH’s one. 

Things to watch out for

How much will KKR miss Phil Salt?

Over the last two months, Phil Salt’s bond with Sunil Narine has become inseparable. The duo has been monstering their way against bowling units in the IPL, with an average of 46.6 and a startling strike rate of 208, while scoring 559 runs. That is one of the major reasons they have breached the 200+ total six times this year.

But in Salt’s absence, KKR have a big shoe to fill. If the last clash against RR is any indicator, Rahmanullah Gurbaz is the one earmarked to replace Salt at the top. Gurbaz hasn’t had the best of 2024, with an average of 19.89 and a strike rate of 144.94. 

He isn’t as explosive as Salt, but one thing that Gurbaz knows is about the IPL pressure. Will KKR miss Salt too much, or will Gurbaz easily fill in the shoes? 

KKR will need to find a way to get rid of Abhishek early

41 sixes in a single IPL campaign. 

Abhishek Sharma hasn’t just been in form; he has been in rampant form. Despite not having the strongest frame or the bulkiest body, what Abhishek has done this season is remarkable: he has hit sixes for fun. 

The southpaw from Punjab has already scored 467 runs this season, but the buck doesn’t stop there. In the only clash against KKR this season, Abhishek struck a 19-ball 32, targeting Sunil Narine. Given that he’s never been dismissed by Narine to date in IPL, KKR would want to see the back of Abhishek early. 

How can they achieve that?

Ten of his dismissals in this IPL have been short or slightly back-of-a-length deliveries. KKR will have to target that area, and they could potentially use someone like Russell, who naturally bowls that length. 

The Varun Chakravarthy factor

You might be complacent about it but the Varun Chakravarthy factor has been real this year. Across his last four fixtures, the mystery spinner has struck ten times while bowling with an economy rate of 4.3, 10, 5.5 and 4 in those games. 

If that’s not incredible, then nothing could. While KKR have not used much of his bowling in the powerplay this year, it could be a potential ploy against Travis Head. He has been dismissed twice this year by off-spinners, and Varun isn’t just another off-spinner. The element of mystery could certainly catch Head by surprise. 

Probable XIs

SRH’s XI: Travis Head, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Sanvir Singh, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, T Natarajan, Abhishek Sharma (IP)

KKR’s XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora (IP)

TV and streaming details

The match will begin at 7:30 PM and will be streamed and telecasted on Jio Cinema and Star Sports. 

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