SRH vs KKR Highlights, IPL 2022: Tripathi, Markram power Sunrisers Hyderabad to seven-wicket win over Kolkata

Umpires and players are on the field. Finch and Venkatesh are opening for Kolkata. No Ajinkya Rahane tonight! Bhuvneshwar starts off the proceedings with the ball... let's begin!

Three changes for Kolkata! Finch, Aman Khan and Sheldon Jackson coming in for Sam Billings, Rahane and Rasikh Salam.

Sunrisers are on the 8th spot but a win tonight will take them straight in the middle of the points table. If Kolkata win, they clinch the top spot from Gujarat Titans. A lot to play for! We are just minutes away from the start... stay tuned!

"We definitely miss him (Washington Sundar) a lot, he's been having a wonderful tournament with bat and ball. It's unfortunate that it's happened but he'll be back soon, he's a strong kid," says Nicholas Pooran.

As Aaron Finch gears up to play for ninth IPL franchise, he will be up against Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the start! In T20s, the Indian pacer has removed Finch thrice in 53 balls. Finch has just 45 runs against Bhuvneshwar at an average of 15.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is just three wickets away from 150 IPL plucks.

Kane Williamson is eight runs shy of 2000 runs in the IPL.

Aaron Finch, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer(c), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sheldon Jackson(w), Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Aman Hakim Khan, Varun Chakaravarthy

"I am happy batting first. Finch comes in and Aman Khan comes in. Sheldon Jackson is in as well. There are a few injuries in the camp. We had a good break in between," says KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer.

Abhishek Sharma, Kane Williamson(c), Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran(w), Aiden Markram, Shashank Singh, Jagadeesha Suchith, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen, Umran Malik, T Natarajan

"We are gonna have a bowl first. It has been a good wicket but the dew factor has been a reason. Team is improving and growing as a unit. KKR is a strong side. Sundar ain't playing today but good opportunity for Suchith," says Kane Williamson.

Kane Williamson wins toss and Sunrisers Hyderabad have opted to bowl first. J Suchith replaces injured Washington Sundar.

Notably, the last three games have been won by the teams batting first! 

“Feeling very good. The boys have gotten off to a really great tournament. It is a great franchise to be a part of. I think I bring some experience to the top of the order,” says Finch. 

“My game has been really good coming from Pakistan and over the last few days. It is a really consistent group. They play really aggressively. Shreyas is leading is calmly with McCullum.”

Aaron Finch, Aman Khan are set to make debuts for Kolkata Knight Riders!

Umesh Yadav has picked up 10 wickets in five matches for KKR and is the second leading wicket-taker in the tournament after Rajasthan Royals' tweaker Yuzvendra Chahal.

Umesh has earned praise from former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan, who pointed out the pacer going unsold on Day 1 of the February auction. "Umesh must have been hurt and that is why he is determined to prove himself. He is putting up a show in this season for KKR who showed faith in him," said Irfan on Star Sports.

"Looks like a magnificent surface. Lovely grass coverage on it, all that does is just give it a really nice pace. Good sound to it - nice and hard. Good pace, good bounce. Batters have made the most of scoring runs in the early stages here. Bat first, put runs on the board and if you get 185-190, you'll be okay. It's a really good surface," says Simon Doull about the surface.

Ajinkya Rahane has been dismissed six times by Bhuvneshwar Kumar in 15 innings. Bhuvneshwar has also removed KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer on three occasions.

Brabourne has become famous for rolling out run-fest games so far! The average economy has been 9.45 at the venue in IPL 2022. Expect a high-scoring thriller... we are just 30 minutes away from the flip of coin.

Yuzvendra Chahal currently leads the charts with 12 wickets and is followed by Umesh Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav and Wanindu Hasaranga, who all have 10 wickets each. Umesh has a chance to clinch the top spot tonight!

The spotlight will also be on Umesh Yadav, who has plucked 10 wickets from five games at an economy of 6.60. The Indian has bowled the most number of dot balls (65) so far.

Varun Chakravarthy will be operating with Sunil Narine, who was the pick of Kolkata bowlers in the game against Delhi.

Narine returned impressive figures of 2-21 off his four overs. The West Indian has bowled the second-most number of dot balls in the tournament so far.

Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has had a quiet start so far and the KKR man is currently working on a new variation. He was the highest wicket taker for KKR last season with 18 wickets from 17 matches.

"I am working on a new variation which I am looking forward to bowl more. If it starts clicking well it will definitely add a new dimension to my game," he said before the game versus SRH.

Hyderabad may have won their last two games but they face a stiff challenge against Kolkata, who have won their last four consecutive games against SRH. At neutral venues, Kolkata are on a winning streak of five IPL wins over Hyderabad. Their last defeat versus Hyderabad at a neutral venue was back in 2016!

Delhi Capitals had notched up 215/5 -- the highest team total at the venue in the previous game against Kolkata Knight Riders. While Shreyas Iyer's men look for an improved bowling performance, Hyderabad will be eager to put a hefty total if they bat first.

Sunrisers will heavily rely on their top three batters to put up a good show on Brabourne surface, which has produced multiple high-scoring totals. Abhishek Sharma has shone with match-winning knocks of 75 and 42 while skipper Kane Williamson has scored 32 and 57 to set up his team's run-chase.

In 21 games played between the two teams, Sunrisers Hyderabad have managed just seven wins. Kolkata have 14 wins to their name including a Super Over win in Abu Dhabi during the 2020 season.

Rahul Tripathi was in fine touch against the Titans before he retired hurt. After falling on the ground right after hitting a six, he needed medical attention. But Tom Moody has confirmed that it was just a cramp.

"He's fine, he's just getting cramped. It's humid conditions and we get him to run to hotspots, so he covers a lot of ground in the first two-three overs," said the coach.