If it was Shardul Thakur and the spinners who launched the turnaround against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Rinku Singh’s unbelievable final-over blinder earned Kolkata Knight Riders an unforgettable win against reigning champions Gujarat Titans in their previous game.
The Knights are now itching to record a hat-trick when they face Sunrisers Hyderabad at Eden Gardens on Friday.
Rinku Singh (picture taken from a Twitter post), the star of Kolkata Knight Riders’ last win, didn’t attend practice at Eden Gardens on Thursday but is expected to set off fireworks again on Friday. PTI and Sanat Kumar Sinha
Compared to RCB and the Titans, the Sunrisers aren’t really a star-studded line-up. Rather, there’s bigger star value in their coaching staff, featuring head coach Brian Lara, fast-bowling coach Dale Steyn and spin-bowling coach Muttiah Muralitharan.
But going into Friday’s clash after a comprehensive eight-wicket win over Punjab Kings, the Sunrisers are expected to take the field with a little more confidence against this charged-up Knight Riders unit.
Umran Malik shares a light moment with Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Brian Lara. PTI and Sanat Kumar Sinha
The fickleness and uncertainty of the T20 format aside, the Sunrisers do consist of players quite capable of shocking the opposition. At No.3 in their line-up, Rahul Tripathi is consistently improving, while a significant contribution at the top is due from Englishman Harry Brook, who has been quiet so far in his debut IPL.
With the ball, Umran Malik’s searing pace is always a factor irrespective of the surface and Marco Jansen’s ability to move the ball can be handy on the Eden track. Besides, leg-spinner Mayank Markande is in rhythm as well, coming off his 4/15 against Punjab Kings.
KKR’s Sunil Narine, during practice at the Eden on Thursday. PTI and Sanat Kumar Sinha
The Knights’ head coach, Chandrakant Pandit, a hard taskmaster, and captain Nitish Rana have to be careful about keeping the players level-headed and not get carried away with their recent results. Importantly, they need to let their current sensation Rinku play the game he’s comfortable with.
But the creases remain. KKR are yet to have a settled opening combination as keeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been the only consistent run-getter so far upfront.
With the quicks too being inconsistent, it’s mainly due to the bowling efforts of their spin trio — Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and young Suyash Sharma — that the Knights have somehow been able to pull things back. Against both RCB and Punjab, Narine was able to deliver and the Knights would only hope he continues with the tricks up his sleeve. Also, a worry would be the form of Andre Russell.
Today’s match
■ Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 7.30pm, Eden Gardens, live on Star Sports & Jio Cinema