Bengaluru, May 24: Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad will take on each other on Friday (May 25) with an eye on the IPL final on Sunday (May 27).
On the paper, Kolkata Knight Riders have an edge over Sunrisers Hyderabad because of two factors - the match will take place at Eden Gardens, the home venue of KKR, and the Knight Riders are coming in with a four-match winning streak behind them.
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But that does not mean Sunrisers do not have the ammunition to challenge the Knight Riders. Here Mykhel gives you a list of key battles that can make an impact on the game.
Siddharth Kaul vs Sunil Narine
With Bhuvneshwar Kumar having a mixed tournament, his pace colleague Kaul has taken the lead role. He has taken 19 wickets from 15 matches and often gave crucial breakthroughs to SRH.
Which was your favourite moment from #KKRvRR? 🤔
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) May 24, 2018
A] Skipper DK reaching 5⃣0⃣ with a MAXIMUM! 😍
B] DK & Russell scoring 1⃣9⃣ runs in the 17th Over 🔥
C] Piyush's C&B to get us the breakthrough 🤯
D] Brilliant 18th Over by Prasidh conceding only 3 runs & taking 1 wicket 🤩 pic.twitter.com/4860nMirU0
But on Friday, he will be up against Knight Riders' Narine, who has given them some blazing starts and his strike rate stands at 189.14, a shade less than tournament best 190.85 by his teammate Andre Russel. The Sunrisers will be hoping that Kaul will once again do the act.
Rashid Khan vs Dinesh Karthik
The Afghanistan leg-spinner has kept the batsmen in this IPL on a tight leash while taking 18 wickets from 15 matches and his economy stands at an excellent 6.91. Generally, bowls in the middle stages of the match, Rashid will come up against Karthik, who is a pillar of strength for KKR in this tournament.
Karthik has garnered 490 runs at 54.44 at a strike rate of over 148 from 15 matches. He has played the dual role of enforcer and finisher with aplomb for Knight Riders and Rashid will have to bring all of his guile against Karthik.
With batsmen finding it difficult to read his googly, @rashidkhan_19 is now 4th contender for Purple Cap with 18 wickets in 15 matches this #IPL2018. Wishing him Good Luck for upcoming matches.#IPL2018Playoffs pic.twitter.com/dheD2eIB2x
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) May 24, 2018
Prasidh Krishna vs Kane Williamson
On a different, this could a gross mismatch. But the Karnataka youngster shouldered the responsibility of Knight Riders bowling department, taking 10 wickets from six matches. His spell had a vital role in KKR's win over Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator.
But he will have a worthy opponent in Kane Williamson on Friday. The Sunrisers' captain is the highest run-getter in the tournament with 685 runs at 57.08 and his strike rate is a highly acceptable 143.60.
Prasidh will have to keep Williamson silent if not dismiss him cheaply so that KKR can gain a definite edge in the match.