A hotter than hot Hyderabad awaits when SRH host KKR in an IPL 2016 match on Saturday. With both teams coming off losses, neither will want to continue down that path when they play at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad ran into an AB De Villiers and Virat Kohli in form in their last match, with RCB, courtesy some scooping from Sarfaraz Khan at the end as well, posting a score that proved to be well out of their reach.
Only David Warner really looked capable of pulling off the mammoth chase, and that over-reliance cannot be the Sunrisers IPL tale yet again. The likes of Shikhar Dhawan, so disappointing of late, Moises Henriques, Eoin Morgan, Kane Williamson, when he plays, Deepak Hooda and Naman Ojha need to step up and give their captain the confidence, that if his wicket falls early, there is still enough backup there to see the team home. Because that confidence will allow Warner to go gung-ho from ball one, and there are very few batsmen in the world more destructive at the top of the order.
While the Sunrisers never looked like getting to RCB's near-230 total, that was largely down to the fact that their bowlers just leaked too many runs. Ashish Nehra's injury played a crucial part in that, because Warner lost a potent weapon in the final overs, when Sarfaraz Khan went scoop-crazy.
However, there is still plenty of experience in the squad to make up for Nehra's loss, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, especially, proving to be disappointing. The right-armer is still quite inconsistent with the ball in his hand, and his death-over skills, which showed signs of improvement last season, needs to be in top order against KKR. Mustafizur Rahman is a great weapon to have for SRH, but the left-armer requires support from his teammates.
KKR, after a comprehensive win over the Delhi Daredevils, were stopped in their tracks by the Mumbai Indians, and now, on an away run, they need to bounce back immediately to regain the momentum. Their bowling was also the problem in the loss to MI, and the possible inclusion of Sunil Narine is probably the fillip needed to get them back on track.
Where to Watch Live
SRH vs KKR -- Match 8 of IPL 2016 -- is scheduled for an 8 p.m. IST (3.30 p.m. BST, 10.30 a.m. ET) start. Live coverage of the match on TV will be on Sony Max, Sony Six, Sony Six HD, Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD. Hotstar and Starsports.com will provide the online live streaming options for the match between RCB and SRH.
OSN Sports Cricket is the place to be to watch the IPL 2016 match live in the Middle East and North Africa, while the action can also be live streamed on OSN Cricket Play. Supersport and Supersport Live Video will give the TV and online live streaming options for audience in South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa.
Sky Sports will show the match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders live in the UK, with the live stream options on Watch Sky Sports and Sky Go. Viewers in the US can watch the game live on ESPN, while the game can also be live streamed on Watch ESPN. Sportsnet and Watch Sportsnet are the options for audience in Canada.
Viewers from across the world can also watch SRH vs KKR live by online live streaming on Cricketgateway.