IPL 2017 Match 14 preview: In form Knight Riders look to continue their winning streak against the Sunrisers

Match 14: Kolkata Knight Riders v Sunrisers Hyderabad at Kolkata, Apr 15, 2017

Eden Gardens ( Capacity 50,000)
Saturday, 15th April
16:00 hrs IST

KKR has been a confident outfit in this IPL, with their skipper Gautam Gambhir batting his team to two wins. Sunrisers Hyderabad, have also been upbeat in this IPL, but would be a little careful after their loss in the last match. Their skipper David Warner, after two wins, was found a little short against Delhi Daredevils. KKR has been very creative in this IPL, sending Sunil Narine to open the batting with Gambhir in Thursday’s match with Kings XI Punjab. The Punjab team were left adapting to this move, but SRH would be well prepared for such surprises. Overall, it will be interesting to see how the respective skippers, both aggressive, will implement their tactics.

Team News:
Mustafizur Rahman is likely to get a longer run and Rashid Khan has performed impressively enough to stay in the XI. For Knight Riders, Trent Boult’s early form could be a source of concern. The New Zealand quick has been unlucky, with fielders having missed catches off his bowling in the last two matches. He has also conceded 123 runs for one wicket so far with an economy rate of 10.39, the third poorest among those who have bowled more than 10 overs this season, after Ashok Dinda (11.9) and Mitchell McClenaghan (10.75). The Knight Riders’ middle order has not had much to do in two of their three games so far. That might change, given the potency of Sunrisers’ attack. With Chris Lynn still recovering from a shoulder injury, KKR might look to fill his spot with an allrounder. Colin de Grandhomme performed the role on Thursday, but he could face competition from Shakib Al Hasan and Rovman Powell, whose playing style has been likened to Andre Russell’s by the franchise’s CEO.

Ideal Playing XI
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Shikhar Dhawan, David Warner (capt), Deepak Hooda, Yuvraj Singh, Moises Henriques,Naman Ojha (wk),Vijay Shankar ,Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Mustafizur Rahman

Kolkata Knight Riders: :Gautam Gambhir (capt), Robin Uthappa (wk), Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Suryakumar Yadav, Shakib Al Hasan, Chris Woakes, Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla, Umesh Yadav, Trent Boult

Match prediction: KKR goes in as favorites with the home advantage as well as good record against the Sunrisers.