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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will start their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Match 3 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Saturday.
Last year, both KKR and SRH failed to qualify for the playoffs. Kolkata finished 7th on the points table after winning only six matches. On the other hand, SRH finished at the bottom of the points table as they managed to win only four matches under the leadership of Aiden Markram.
Now, both teams will look to regroup and perform well this season under new leaders. KKR will be confident with the arrival of their captain, Shreyas Iyer, who missed last season due to injury. Another good news for KKR fans is that Gautam Gambhir, who led the Kolkata-based franchise to two titles, has joined them as a mentor.
Meanwhile, SRH has roped in Australia’s World Cup-winning captain, Pat Cummins, who will look to bring some luck to the team, which has been struggling for some years in the IPL.
On this note, we have selected a combined Kolkata-Hyderabad playing 11 ahead of the KKR-SRH match on Saturday.
Openers - Venkatesh Iyer and Mayank Agarwal
Venkatesh Iyer joined KKR in 2021 and has been an instrumental part of the team since then. With a strike rate of 145.8, the left-handed batter scored 404 runs in 14 games last year, including two half-centuries and a century against the Mumbai Indians, although in a losing cause. This season, Iyer will be looking to continue the same form and help KKR win an IPL title.
Mayank Agarwal last played for India in 2022 and has been struggling in the IPL for the last couple of years. The right-handed batter has managed to score 466 runs in the last two years, with only two half-centuries to his name. However, considering the class Mayank has, he will be looking to change his fortune and can become a match-winner for SRH.
Middle order - Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Heinrich Klassen (wk), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell
The last few months have been a roller coaster for Shreyas Iyer. The Indian batter had a fantastic World Cup, wherein he scored more than 500 runs at an average of 70. He also scored two centuries, including one in the semi-finals against New Zealand.
Iyer was then picked in a test series against England but was dropped after two matches. Subsequently, he failed to show up in Ranji Trophy 2023-24 matches, which saw him get axed from the BCCI annual contract. However, he returned to play for Mumbai while scoring 95 against Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy final.
Now, after missing last year's IPL due to injury, he will be looking to taste success with KKR while also hoping to deliver some memorable performances for his franchise.
Nitish Rana led KKR in IPL 2023 in the absence of Shreyas Iyer. Though KKR couldn’t qualify for the playoffs, he was praised by experts for handling the team well. He had a decent season with the bat last year, where he scored 413 runs at an average of 31.7 and a strike rate of 140.9. Now, with no burden of captaincy, he will be looking to contribute a lot more with the bat.
Proteas batter Heinrich Klassen had a fantastic IPL 2023, where he slammed 448 runs in 12 matches at an average of 49.7 and a strike rate of 177. The keeper-batter also scored a century against RCB, along with two half-centuries last year. The SRH batter would be looking to continue his good performance in the tournament this season as well.
Rinku Singh, who has been playing IPL for some time, finally got the limelight in 2023 when he hit Yash Dayal for five sixes, with KKR needing 28 runs on five balls.
Since then, Rinku Singh has also represented India, with the most recent one against Afghanistan in the T20, where he scored 69* off 39 balls.
In IPL 2023, the southpaw scored over 450 runs at an average of 59.2 and will be looking to continue his good performance to help KKR win the IPL 2024.
The West Indian powerhouse Andre Russell has been a key part of the KKR side since the last decade. The all-rounder has played more than 100 IPL matches and has scored 2,262 runs while also picking up 96 wickets.
Russell had a disappointing last year, where he could score only 227 runs and take seven wickets. However, he will look to change these numbers this year, and help KKR's cause.
Bowlers - Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy
Mitchell Starc will return to IPL after almost a decade. In the two seasons he played, the left-arm pacer picked up 34 wickets in 27 matches at an efficient economy of 7.1. For IPL 2024, he was picked by KKR at a whopping INR 24.75 crore.
The World Cup-winning player will have to lead the KKR bowling attack, and fans will be hoping for some decent performances from the Australian pacer.
SRH have a new skipper in the form of Pat Cummins. The veteran pacer was bought for INR 20.25 crore and is expected to change the SRH fortune. The New South Wales cricketer has 45 wickets to his name in 42 IPL matches and will hope create a difference for his side. Moreover, he can be more than a handy option with the bat as well.
The Indian pacer, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has been absent from the Indian squad for more than a year, will be looking to have a perfect season to be back in the limelight before the T20 World Cup.
The two-time purple cap winner did fine in IPL 2023, picking up 16 wickets in 14 matches. However, Kumar will be looking to get back to his best and have a season to remember.
The last player on the combined KKR-SRH playing 11 is Varun Chakaravarthy. The right-arm leg break has been a key figure for KKR in the last few years and is coming back after a good last season. Varun managed to pick up 20 wickets in 14 matches in IPL 2023. This year, fans will also be hoping for a similar performance from him.
