IPL 2021 Match 3 – Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kolkata Knight Riders Betting Preview

IPL 2021: Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kolkata Knight Riders – Preview, Prediction, Probable Playing XIs and Value Bets

Match Details
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders
M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Sunday, April 11th, 2021
16:00 SA Time

Betting Preview

In the third match of the IPL, two former champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) face off at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The two teams have played each other on 19 occasions with KKR winning 12 of them. With Chepauk conditions more suited to SRH’s playing style, they start the match as slight favourites.

The 2016 champions, Sunrisers Hyderabad have been consistent performers in the IPL, making the playoffs every season since 2016. David Warner led SRH to third place in 2020 after losing to DC in Qualifier 2. SRH have a strong batting unit and are spoilt for choice with plenty of quality top-order batsmen. Jason Holder’s all-round ability gives them a much needed balance. Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s return to form and fitness is a huge plus for the team with Natarajan and Sandeep Sharma doing their roles to perfection. Rashid Khan could be their MVP with nine of their matches scheduled on spin-friendly surfaces.

Former two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders had to endure a mediocre season in 2020. Their campaign was marred by inconsistent approach and injury issues to their MVP Andre Russell, as a result, they failed to make the playoffs. KKR didn’t address the issue of a vulnerable top order in the auction but they have acquired the services of Shakib Al Hassan and Harbhajan Singh which should come in handy. Their Indian pace options still could be a concern. England’s World Cup winning captain Eoin Morgan will lead KKR from the start of this season.

Injury and Availability News

KKR’s Nitish Rana was found Covid positive but he has recovered and is ready to play. SRH have roped in England’s Jason Roy after Mitchell Marsh pulled out of the tournament for personal reasons. All the players are available for selection.

Probable Playing XI

Sunrisers Hyderabad

David Warner (c), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shahbaz Nadeem, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan

Kolkata Knight Riders

Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (c), Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine/Lockie Ferguson, Harbhajan Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy

Pitch and Conditions

M. A. Chidambaram – Chepauk Stadium is known for its slow nature with plenty of assistance for spin bowlers. In 2019, the track had an average first innings score of 144. The pitch is expected to behave the same way.

Key Players to Watch Out For

David Warner: The SRH Skipper is arguably the best IPL batsman ever. Warner’s game against all types of bowling is extraordinary and makes him the most complete T20 batter. He has scored 500-plus runs in six consecutive seasons. He is the only batsman to have done so. In the 2020 IPL, Warner amassed 548 runs at a strike rate of 134.6. He will be their best hope in the batting unit once again.

Rashid Khan: The Afghanistan leggie has been the best T20 spinner going around for a while. Rashid Khan is an integral part of SRH’s success in recent years. The fast leggie makes batsmen dance to his tunes with his extraordinary skill set. Rashid Khan has picked 75 wickets at an economy of 6.25 in his IPL career. In the last edition, Rashid took 20 scalps at a mind-blowing economy rate of 5.38. Rashid will once again be SRH’s biggest weapon on spin-friendly tracks.

Andre Russell: The Jamaican all-rounder is known for his explosive power-hitting. Andre Russell, KKR’s most valuable player had a below average season in 2020 as he struggled with fitness and form. Russell has produced two MVP seasons for the Knight Riders in 2015 and 2019. Dre Russ has an incredible career strike rate of 182.3. He would like to repeat his 2019 season performance when he scored 510 runs at a strike rate of 204.8.

Varun Chakravarthy: This Tamil Nadu mystery spinner was one of the finds of the tournament last year. Varun Chakravarthy had picked 17 wickets at an economy rate of 6.85 in the 2020 IPL. Varun C should enjoy the slow nature of the Chepauk pitch. The KKR spinner will also have a chance to put his name forward for a World Cup spot in the Indian team.

What Bets To Take

Sunrisers Hyderabad

David Warner to be SRH’s top batsman at 3.00.

Rashid Khan to be SRH’s top bowler at 3.00.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Shubman Gill to be KKR’s top batsman at 3.60.

Lockie Ferguson/Pat Cummins to be KKR’s top bowler at 3.60.

Prediction: Sunrisers Hyderabad to win at 1.90.