Kolkata Knight Riders started with lot of promise, but despite winning three of their first four matches, lost their way against Delhi Capitals in their last game.

They failed to click as a unit and their famed bowling line-up let them down. What has bothered KKR the most is Pat Cummins leaking runs and Varun Chakravarthy’s ineffectiveness this season.

Their batting also hasn’t been firing on expected lines. The form of Ajinkya Rahane and Nitish Rana has been a big worry as this puts unnecessary pressure on the lower order. After all, you can’t expect Andre Russell or Cummins to play match-winning knocks in every match.

If KKR decide to drop Rahane and make room for Australia’s limited-overs captain Aaron Finch, then Sam Billings will have to sit out with Sheldon Jackson donning the big gloves. This could be the change KKR would make at the top in an attempt to return to winning ways against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Friday.

How KKR’s batters handle Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be the key. The absence of Washington Sundar in the Sunrisers line-up will be an advantage for the Knights. The timing of Washington’s injury will be crucial since Sunrisers appeared to be picking up pace after losing their first two games. Two consecutive victories have given them some much-needed confidence.

Washington also offers them balance at No. 7 as a batter and how they make up for his absence could decide the fate of the match. Shreyas Gopal and Jagadeesha Suchith appear to be the alternatives at this moment but their batting isn’t that effective.

Sunrisers also have the option of going in with Abdul Samad and then get him and Aiden Markram to split up the fifth bowler’s duties.

How the KKR spinners plan to curb Williamson and Nicholas Pooran’s prolific run-scoring ways will be interesting to find out. Abhishek Sharma also could prove to be dangerous for KKR, particularly after his knocks of 75 and 42 set up the chases in their last two games. Rahul Tripathi also looked good against Gujarat Titans before he retired hurt following what seemed like a cramp.

“The initial plan will be to keep attacking the stumps and stick to our strengths,” Chakravarthy said on Thursday.

In the five games played at Braborune, the lowest first innings total is 177. The teams chasing have enjoyed the edge but Punjab Kings did comfortably defend 180 against Chennai Super Kings earlier this month.

KKR could also decide to drop Rasikh Salam and play an extra batsman to counter the Sunrisers’ pace attack comprising Bhuvi, Marco Jansen, Umran Malik and T. Natarajan. KKR have six bowling options even without Salam.

KKR enjoy a 14-7 advantage against Sunrisers in the IPL and that should be good news for Shreyas Iyer’s boys. Moreover, Sunrisers haven’t managed to beat KKR since 2020, losing all four games in that period.