IPL 2021: SRH hand debut to T Natarajan’s replacement from Kashmir who helped the team as a net bowler

Umran, a right-arm medium pacer, was earlier roped in by the franchise as a short-term replacement for T Natarajan who had tested positive for Covid-19.

Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday handed debut to Umran Malik as they won the toss and opted to bat against Kolkata Knight Riders in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 match no. 49 in Dubai. The 21-year-old cricketer from Kashmir is now the third player from the state to play for SRH, after his current teammate Abdul Samad and spinner Parvez Rasool.

SRH have won the toss and opted to bat against KKR in IPL 2021 match no. 49 (iplt20.com)

Umran, a right-arm medium pacer, was earlier roped in by the franchise as a short-term replacement for T Natarajan who had tested positive for Covid-19, before the start of SRH’s game against Delhi Capitals on September 22. Prior to his signing, Umaran has been with the team as a net bowler in the UAE.

“We're going to have a bat. It looks like a reasonable surface and it won't change much so we'll make use of it with the bat. It's an unfortunate position to be in but there's quite a bit to gain with growth of players, in difficult conditions, especially against a side like Kolkata. Umran Malik comes in for Sandeep Sharma just to improve the balance of the side. He's an exciting fast bowling talent,” said SRH captain Kane Williamson at the toss.

Meanwhile, KKR will be bowling first and they have made one change to their playing XI. They have handed a game to Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan who came in for Tim Siefert.

“We're happy to bowl first. It's a similar wicket to the other night, the ball swung around a little bit, there's a shorter side on one side, but yeah we are happy chasing. Being an experienced player, the worse you form gets, the closer you actually get to a good score, so I'm hoping to turn things around and contribute to a win. I think we did a good job in the second phase, gathering momentum and playing some really good cricket. I think if we get past the challenge that SRH pose today we'll be in an even better space. Tim Seifert goes out and Shakib comes in to improve the balance on the all-round front since he contributes with the ball as well. We probably fell short with the ball the other night and Shakib fills that void,” said Morgan at the toss.

Here are the playing XIs of both teams:

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): 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 (Playing XI): Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Kane Williamson(c), Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, Siddarth Kaul