KKR vs SRH: Four reasons why Sunrisers Hyderabad will beat Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024 Qualifier 1

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KKR vs SRH: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will lock horns against each other in the Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2024 on Tuesday, May 21.

KKR finished the league stage as the top-ranked team, while SRH finished behind them in second. The two star-studded sides will now go against each other to book a slot in the final.

The winner of Qualifier 1 will book a berth in the final on Sunday (May 26), while the losing team will get another opportunity in Qualifier 2. One between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) will go to the Qualifier 2 after winning the IPL 2024 Eliminator on Wednesday.

Quite naturally, SRH and KKR would be aiming to take a straighter look by winning and qualifying for the mega final on Monday itself. Kolkata were the more consistent team in the league stage, but Hyderabad are expected to get the better of them in the high-octane clash.

KKR vs SRH: Four reasons why Sunrisers Hyderabad will beat Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024 Qualifier 1

Disruption in momentum: First and foremost, there is a break in KKR's momentum after their last two matches were abandoned due to rain. KKR played their last game on May 11. In fact, that match against Mumbai Indians was also reduced to 16 overs due to rain.

KKR were in Guwahati until Sunday, and they also need to freshen themselves up before the high-pressure game on Tuesday. It's been a frustrating week for KKR, and that could show on the field against SRH, who chased down 215 with utmost ease agains Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Sunday in Hyderabad.

SRH's extremely lethal batting unit: SRH's batting unit has been nothing but lethal in the IPL 2024. Openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma have stitched three century partnerships this season. Both have a strike rate in excess of 200.

The likes of Henrich Klaasen, Nitish Reddy, and Aiden Markram follow them, giving oppositions no room to escape. Each one of these batters are power-hitters and have made the boundaries look extremely small.

The depth in SRH batting unit combined with the aggression shown by the SRH batters, have made the going very tough for opposition bowlers. KKR are not having one of the strongest bowling lineups this season, and SRH would be looking to make full use of it.

Ahmedabad conditions more favourable to SRH bowlers: The pacers have prevailed in Ahmedabad, and we all know which team is having a better pace unit. Pat Cummins, T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and rookie Nitish Reddy form a world class pace unit for SRH.

Natarajan (17), Cummins (15) and Bhuvneshwar (11) are the top three leading wicket-takers for their team this season. SRH will also have the option to use local boy Jaydev Unadkat, who has picked eight wickets in nine matches this season.

Mitchell Starc, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, and Vaibhav Arora have been the key pacers for KKR this season, and have done considerably well. But SRH pacers are definitely more experienced. Therefore a lot will depend on KKR spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine.

Pat Cummins factor: SRH captain Pat Cummins led the Australia team to the ODI World Cup 2023 victory against India in November last year. He knows the conditions perfectly and has the experience of leading and winning in knock matches. The star cricketer is expected to make a big impact.

Absence of Phil Salt: KKR's batting success this year has a lot to do with their opening pair this year. Phil Salt and Sunil Narine set the stage on fire for KKR, but the former is back in England for national duty, while Narine has crossed the 20-run mark only once in his last four innings.

Also, clearing the big boundaries of Narendra Modi Stadium will not be easy for Narine against SRH pacers. Shreyas Iyer has failed to get going, Rinku Singh hasn't got enough chances, and Andre Russell also has not played any big innings this season. The KKR batting unit will face a stern test in Ahmedabad.