FANTASY
Follow UsAfter a five-wicket loss to the Punjab Kings, the Kolkata Knight Riders will be up against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Match 49 of the Indian Premier League on Sunday, 3rd October at the Dubai International Stadium.
While the Sunrisers have been eliminated from the tournament, the Knight Riders will need to win both their matches to inch a step closer to a place in the playoffs of the competition.
The boys in Purple and Gold will head into this game by winning 13 out of their 20 encounters.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Overall: Matches – 20 | KKR – 13 wins | SRH – 7 wins
Last five matches: KKR – 4 wins | SRH – 1 win
SUGGESTED TEAM
While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.
GROUND DETAILS
The average first innings score since 2018 at the Dubai International Stadium is 159/6, and the average winning total at the venue is 172/6. In the IPL 2021, the pace bowlers have picked up 60 wickets at an average of 14.3 compared to 22 wickets and 30.9 against spin.
In the 14 innings, the pace bowlers have conceded 8.1 runs per over and have a strike rate of 18 compared to 7.5 and 24.8 by spin.
SUGGESTED CAPTAIN
Venkatesh Iyer
One of the significant reasons for the change in fortunes of the Kolkata Knight Riders has been the inclusion of Venkatesh Iyer in the playing XI. The southpaw amassed 193 runs in five innings with two half-centuries to propel the Knight Riders to a flying start at the top of the order.
While the Knight Riders have been missing the services of experienced Andre Russell from the past couple of games, Iyer has chipped in with valuable overs for the side in the middle overs. The 26-year old will play a vital role in this high-voltage clash with his all-around abilities.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Iyer to score 23-35 runs in this match.
X-FACTORS
Jason Holder
With his brutal hitting down the order and handy medium pace, Jason Holder will be the key player for the Sunrisers in this crucial encounter. The 29-year old picked up three vital wickets in their previous encounter against the Chennai Super Kings to dent the opposition batting unit and take the match deep into the 20th over.
Holder contributed with a destructive knock of 47* in 29 balls to get the side agonisingly close to the target in their match against the Punjab Kings.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Holder could pick 2-3 wickets and score 14-20 runs in this match.
Sunil Narine
One of the integral members of the Knight Riders, Sunil Narine, will be critical to the fortunes of the side in the middle overs. Narine has picked up ten wickets in the nine matches of the 2021 edition at an economy rate of 6.80. With the surface conducive for spinners in UAE, KKR would be heavily reliant on their mystery spinner to pick up crucial wickets in this much-awaited clash.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Narine could pick 2-3 wickets and score 18-26 runs in this match.
Rahul Tripathi
With 349 runs in 12 innings, Rahul Tripathi has been one of the prolific performers in the batting unit of the Knight Riders. Coming in at number three, Rahul has single-handedly shouldered the responsibility of the side and often guided the team out of challenging situations.
In a match against the Mumbai Indians earlier in the UAE leg, Tripathi scored an unbeaten knock of 74 runs to propel the Knight Riders to a massive seven-wicket win.
Tripathi will be one of the X factors heading into this all-important game with runs under his belt.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Tripathi could score 30-46 runs in this match.