Tricky match for the play-offs | IPL 2022 Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad: Team Analysis

The Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad will be looking to keep themselves in the race to the play-offs, which is getting trickier with every passing match. The match will be played at MCA Stadium in Pune. Here is the team analysis:

Team analysis of Kolkata Knight Riders

Strengths: A team that is driven by Umesh Yadav in the powerplay, Sunil Narine in the middle overs, and Tim Southee and Pat Cummins at the end. They've together worked well for the team.

After numerous opening pairs, they've finally gone back to Ajinkya Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer on the batting side of things. The duo outperformed their predecessor in KKR's previous match.

Nitish Rana and Shreyas Iyer have single-handedly kept the hopes high for the KKR. They often come out to bat in precarious situations and bide their time before playing their natural game.

A fit Andre Russell, who is bowling, further bolstered the team's stability.

Weaknesses: Too much cutting and chopping certainly had a negative impact on the players’ performances. Shreyas Iyer being outfoxed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar in their previous matches will certainly be looming over KKR's captain’s mind.

Pat Cummins being ruled out of the IPL at this stage of the tournament comes out to be a big blow to the franchise.

Team analysis of Sunrisers Hyderabad

Strengths: A team that will be coming on the back of 4 straight losses, will be looking to play positive cricket. They have got the bowling to decimate any batting line-up. Their bowlers have the upper hand against most of the KKR batters – Nitish Rana and Ajinkya Rahane not exactly fare out well against Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

The batting has suddenly stopped clicking for the team. However, Nicholas Pooran, Shashank Singh, and Aiden Markram hitting the form at the right moment is a threat to any opposition.

Weaknesses: Sunil Narine has been economical throughout the season, plus, he also has performed well against both Kane Williamson and Nicholas Pooran.

Kane Williamson's inflexibility to bat in the middle order has come to bite SRH, whenever they're chasing over 175.

Impact player for Kolkata Knight Riders

Umesh Yadav: The pitch at MCA Stadium will help his type of bowling, offering bounce and swing. Plus, his ability to pick wickets with the new ball has been the driving force behind the team's success in the powerplay.

Impact player for Sunrisers Hyderabad

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: He is going to be the biggest threat to the KKR. A swing bowler, who is consistent with his bowling and the pitch being two-paced, it'll be a task to not get out against him.

Head-to-head: 22

KKR: 14

SRH: 8