IPL 2018: Match 54, Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Toss Report
Credits: BCCI

Sunrisers Hyderabad won the toss and decided to bat first against Kolkata Knight Riders in the fifty-fourth match of the Indian Premier League at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.

Here is what the captains said:

Kane Williamson:

“We will bat. Not a lot of grass on the wicket, but it will stay the same. It’s important to build on our performance, playing here is an enjoyable experience. Two changes for us, Bhuvneshwar and Brathwaite are in, Hales and Basil are out”

Dinesh Karthik:

“It would turn a bit, reminds me of the old Kolkata surface. We would have batted first as well. Just one change, Piyush Chawla replaces Shivam Mavi”.

Preview:

The game holds contrasting values for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders. While the Sunrisers have already made it to the playoffs and are assured of a top-two spot, the Knight Riders will make it to the last four if they manage to win the game. A loss for the Knight Riders might end their season tonight.

Moreover, both the teams are entering the contest after registering contrasting results in their last two outings. The Sunrisers faced heavy defeats against Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore. On the other hand, the Knight Riders thrashed Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals to remain in contention for the playoffs. The Sunrisers would be desperate to get back to winning ways before the playoffs while the Knight Riders would be looking to continue the winning run to seal the playoff spot.

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Here are the playing elevens:

Sunrisers Hyderabad:

Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson(c), Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan, Deepak Hooda, Shreevats Goswami(w), Carlos Brathwaite, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma

Kolkata Knight Riders:

Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Javon Searles, Piyush Chawla, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav

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