KKR vs SRH: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Predicted Playing XI Against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)- IPL 2021 Match 49

KKR vs SRH: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Predicted Playing XI Against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)- IPL 2021 Match 49. After losing to Punjab Kings in their last game on Friday, Kolkata Knight Riders have made things hard for themselves as far as their playoff spot is concerned. With that defeat, they are now sitting at fourth position with 5 wins in 12 matches and two games remaining.

They will be playing their next game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Kolkata Knight Riders performed well with the bat in the last game, thanks to significant contributions from the top-four. Eoin Morgan’s poor form, though, still remains a concern. The absence of Lockie Ferguson and Andre Russell has weakened their bowling unit. What changes they make in the next game remains to be seen.

Nevertheless, Kolkata will be playing their next game against Sunrisers Hyderabad and would be confident of winning the game. We have compiled our predicted playing XI for the important encounter. Here’s a look at it.

KKR vs SRH: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Predicted Playing XI Against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)- IPL 2021 Match 49

Openers: Venkatesh Iyer and Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill is with the right intent. He has been aggressive in his approach. However, he hasn’t been able to play the big knocks. Gill is looking in good touch and you can expect him to play contribute heavily on Sunday. His partner, Venkatesh Iyer has been making headlines since making his debut in the second leg. He scored 67 runs off 49 balls in the last game and picked 1 for 30 with the ball.

Middle-order: Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik

Rahul Tripathi and Nitish Rana have been in fine form with the bat. Both are making vital contributions in the middle order. Tripathi scored 34 off 26 in the last game against Punjab, while Rana amassed 31 off 18.

Should KKR replace Eoin Morgan with Shakib Al-Hasan? It will be really difficult for them to make such a decision and we don’t think if they would do that. Morgan is likely to continue leading the side. Dinesh Karthik should don the wicket-keeping gloves and is likely to come at number six.

All-rounders: Shakib Al-Hasan, Sunil Narine

If Andre Russell remains unfit for the clash on Monday, Shakib Al-Hasan should play instead of Tim Seifert in the playing XI. The Bangladesh all-rounder could be a handy customer with the ball and can also strike big hits in the death overs.

Sunil Narine has been brilliant with the ball on the slow tracks of UAE. He has kept the batsmen guessing with his guile and turn. He finished the last game with 1 wicket for 34 runs.

Bowlers: Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee and Varun Chakravarthy

The pitches in Dubai are ideally suited for fast bowlers. Both Southee and Mavi went for a lot of runs in the last game. The teams certainly expect better performance from them. For KKR to win the game, both the players need to start well with the ball.

Varun Chakravarthy will be the biggest bet for KKR in the bowling department. He has been consistently amongst wickets and also been quite economical. The KKR spinner claimed 2 for 24 runs in the last game against Punjab Kings.