KKR vs SRH Highlights, IPL 2021: Bowlers, Gill guide Kolkata to 6-wicket win against Hyderabad to boost playoffs hopes

Kolkata Knight Riders: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan(c), Shakib Al Hasan, Dinesh Karthik(w), Sunil Narine, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Varun Chakaravarthy

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Kane Williamson(c), Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, Siddarth Kaul

SRH have won the toss and opted to bat

It's almost toss time. Are you read?

Morgan has been struggling to get starts this season. Out of the 11 innings he has batted in this season, he has been dismissed in the first 10 balls in 7 of those innings.

“It was great (to get the maiden KKR cap). As a cricketer personally, it's been a dream to play in the IPL. Playing my first game the other night was a dream come true. Obviously would have liked to get a few more with the bat but that's how the game goes. The middle part of the pool (points table) is really close. At the end of the day, it's in our hands. If we win both games, we're through. It's about getting the job done first today and then take it from there. I have done through all kinds of batting positions. No matter where I bat, it's exciting. We have been having fun off the field and we have been playing cricket as well. Just a few crunch moments that didn't go our way. He (McCullum) has had a simple instruction for us - to go and play our natural game fearlessly.”

"It's a brand new surface, a fresh pitch and there is a good covering of grass, which means that there will enough pace on it. This is the slickest deck in the UAE. The track is a bit coarse and that will give the bowlers something to work with. Some grip. Batters like Venkatesh Iyer are going to love this pitch as it will come on a bit better than at the other venues'

— Danny Morrison and Nick Knight

Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Basil Thampi

Our KKR's Predicted XI vs SRH: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Russell / Shakib al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson / Tim Southee, Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Mavi

Best Bowling Figures:

5/32 By Arshdeep Singh (Punjab Kings) Against Rajasthan

Royals In 2021.

Highest Partnership:

181 By Shane Watson And Faf Du Plessis (Chennai Super

Kings) For 1st Wicket Against Punjab Kings In 2020.

Win Rate Batting First:

50% 

Highest Team Total:

219/2 By Sunrisers Hyderabad Against Delhi Capitals In 2020.

Lowest Team Total:

109/10 By Royal Challengers Bangalore Against Punjab Kings

In 2020.

Highest Individual Score:

132 By KL Rahul (Punjab Kings) Against Royal Challengers

Bangalore In 2020.

Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Kane Williamson(c), Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma, Shreevats Goswami, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Mohammad Nabi, Shahbaz Nadeem, Virat Singh, Basil Thampi, Jagadeesha Suchith, Khaleel Ahmed, David Warner, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Umran Malik

Venkatesh Iyer, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan(c), Dinesh Karthik(w), Tim Seifert, Sunil Narine, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Rinku Singh, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna, Andre Russell, Sandeep Warrier, Sheldon Jackson, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Pawan Negi, Karun Nair, Ben Cutting, Shakib Al Hasan, Harbhajan Singh

Jason Holder has been one of the most consistent players for SRH in the UAE leg and holds key once again

So far, KKR opener Shubman Gill has had a quiet UAE leg. Can he go all out today?

vs CSK: Lost by 6 wickets

vs RR: Won by 7 wickets

vs PBKS: lost by 5 runs

vs DC: lost by 8 wickets

vs RR: lost by 55 runs

vs PBKS: Lost by 5 wickets

vs DC: Won by 3 wickets

vs CSK: Lost by 2 wickets

vs MI: Won by 7 wickets

vs RCB: Won by 9 wickets

Highest Total Chased: 160 On Apr 21, 2019

Lowest Total Defended: 162 On May 25, 2016

Highest Total Chased: 182 On Mar 24, 2019

Lowest Total Defended: 167 On May 04, 2015

The last time these teams met, KKR won a nail-biter. Batting first, KKR 187/6 in 20 overs. In response, SRH fell short by just 10 runs, finishing at 177/5 in 20 overs.

KKR facing SRH is always an intriguing battle as it sees two modern-day great square off each other. While England have built a World Cup-winning side under KKR skipper Eoin Morgan, SRH skipper Kane Williamson is known for his batting prowess as well as his captaincy. They met in the 2019 CWC final at Lord's and today, they meet in an IPL game in the UAE.

At the time of writing, that is during match 48 between RCB and PBKS, the standings are as follows:

KKR- 4th position (P-12 | W-5 | L-7 | Points-10)

SRH- 8th position (P-11 | W-2| L-9 | Points-4)

Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad have faced each other 20 times and KKR leads the overall head-to-head battle 13-7

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of match 50 of IPL 2021 between Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad being played at the Dubai International Stadium in the UAE. For one team, it's about survival in the Playoffs race, and for the other, it's about playing for pride and finishing on a high. A team often becomes more dangerous when they have nothing to lose and Sunrisers Hyderabad's convincing win against the Rajasthan Royals bears testament. For the Kolkata Knight Riders, it's about consolidating their chances of sealing a Playoffs berth with a win. Irrespective of the result, you, all my lovely viewers, are bound to get entertained. So, fasten your seatbelts, sit back and enjoy the action.