There has been so much talk about Kolkata Knight Riders batting order over the last two days, will Andre Russell get to man the middle order, what happens with Robin Uthappa and who can replace Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI? There are so many questions for Dinesh Karthik to answer as his side runs into Sunrisers Hyderabad, which got a much-needed win against Chennai Super Kings.
There is little to separate the two sides as things stand right now and now both teams need to start climbing up the list.
Predicted XI of both sides:
Sunrisers Hyderabad Predicted XI: David Warner, Jonny Bairstow (WK), Kane Williamson (C), Vijay Shankar, Yusuf Pathan, Deepak Hooda, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, K Khaleel Ahmed
Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted XI: Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Robin Uthappa, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (C&WK), Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Harry Gurney, Sandeep Warrier
Fantasy tips and suggestions:
Wicket-keeper: Look no further than Jonny Bairstow, he has been in rampant form up the order for Sunrisers Hyderabad and has made quite a splash in his debut season in the IPL. Also, he faces competition from Dinesh Karthik, who has found no momentum this season.
Batsmen: David Warner has been galloping along at the top of the order for SRH. Also, he should be accompanied by Nitish Rana who was brilliant in the previous game against RCB. Kane Williamson, who has got the nod after passing fit, needs to fire and shore up the middle order which has otherwise been quite fragile.
Also, KKR need to invest more in Shubman Gill and send him up the order to allow him more time to settle in and show his class.
All-rounders: Sunil Narine at the top of the order for KKR has been a real bonus for the side, but he needs to now be more consistent. And then there is that man, Andre Russell, who has been quite vocal about his preference in the batting order. He is the game changer for KKR and now the onus is on the management to use him smartly.
Spinners: Rashid Khan, who is another X-factor for SRH, has to be in the side at all times. His leggies have been very frugal this season, but now SRH would want him to pick up more wickets.
Seamers: Take a punt and pick Sandeep Warrier in the side ahead of Prasidh Krishna, he is an unknown commodity and could be impressive. Also, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harry Gurney, with all the experience, come into the picture. It has to be a formidable unit with these three bowlers in the side.
