In their previous encounter, KKR and SRH faced off in the IPL 2024 final. However, in the current IPL 2025 season, they find themselves at the bottom of the points table. Both teams have only managed to defeat Rajasthan Royals, who are currently ranked ninth. SRH stands at eighth place while KKR is in tenth place.
There seems to be a pattern for defending champions KKR with their batting line-up being somewhat delicate. The opening partnership was a key factor in their success last season, with an average of 43.9 and a strike-rate of 207. However, this season, they have not been able to replicate that performance, only averaging 15.3 and striking at 100. Similarly, the batters between Nos. 4 to 8 (including Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell and Ramandeep Singh) have also struggled, posting an average of just 17.22 and striking at 117.3. Additionally, it appears that they have developed a vulnerability to short-pitched deliveries, resulting in nine out of their 12 dismissals against fast bowling being from balls pitched within the range of 8 and 10 metres or shorter.
The batting and bowling powerplays of SRH have been subpar. Abhishek Sharma’s shots have been impressive, yet he has only managed to score 31 runs in three innings. Despite losing wickets, their batters continued to attack in matches against Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals, resulting in below-average scores. There were high hopes for their fast bowlers, but they have failed to make an impact in the initial six overs. Unfortunately, their powerplay economy (11.4) is the worst among all teams this season. Even with experienced players like Pat Cummins, Mohammed Shami and Harshal Patel, their pace attack is struggling with an economy rate of 11.7. In fact, only RR’s quicks (11.8) have performed worse so far.
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Despite facing similar challenges, each team has taken a distinct approach. Cummins stated that SRH will stick to their batting strategy, while KKR mentor Dwayne Bravo emphasized the need for their batters to be more clever instead of just aggressive. It remains to be seen on Thursday which philosophy will prove successful.
In terms of the team’s condition, there are no significant injury worries to report.
It is anticipated that SRH will support their main twelve players, although the specific conditions of the pitch (which will be discussed later) may impact their decision to include Adam Zampa, Wiaan Mulder, seamer Simarjeet Singh or spinner Zeeshan Ansari in the lineup. Unfortunately, Anrich Nortje, KKR’s fastest bowler, is not yet prepared to play.
The possible lineup for Kolkata Knight Riders could include Sunil Narine, Quinton de Kock as wicketkeeper, Ajinkya Rahane as captain, Venkatesh Iyer, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakravarthy and Vaibhav Arora.
Possible revision:
The looming question remains…
After securing impressive results since 2024, Adam Zampa has returned to the IPL. In his last 50 appearances, he has taken 76 wickets with a strike rate of 14.3 and economy of 7.7. Notably, he has been highly effective between overs 7-16 since 2024, with 80% of his overs bowled during this period. Could it be time for SRH to make him a permanent member of their line-up?
Shining brightly in the spotlight are Aniket Verma and Andre Russell.
In 2024, SRH’s standout domestic player was Nitish Kumar Reddy. This season, the team has discovered another exciting talent in Aniket Verma. Despite losing wickets, Aniket, who was purchased for INR 30 lakh, has managed to smash bowlers. In fact, his quickfire 36 off 13 balls against LSG gave a glimpse of what was to come as he later scored a blazing 74 off just 41 balls against DC. Aniket has proved to be extremely destructive against spinners in IPL 2025, hitting them for a boundary every three balls at an impressive strike rate of 238. He ranks second only to Nicholas Pooran in terms of sixes hit against spinners, with a whopping tally of 11. With KKR boasting Narine and Varun Chakravarthy in their bowling lineup, the question remains: will Aniket maintain his dominance?
Following the conclusion of IPL 2024, Andre Russell’s performance has significantly declined with just 586 runs in 41 T20 matches at an average of 18.9. This season, he has only managed nine runs in two innings so far. However, during the previous season, Russell was a key player for KKR in the death overs, boasting an average of 31.20 and a strike-rate of 185. His top score of 64 not out in IPL 2024 was against SRH at Eden Gardens.
Regarding the pitch and conditions, are we ready to reveal our cards?
The surface at Eden Gardens has received a lot of attention in recent days. During the first game against RCB, KKR faced difficulties with the pitch they chose, leading captain Rahane to request a slower pitch more suited for their spinners. As a result, two new pitches have been prepared for this match, both with minimal grass. It appears that the team’s request has been taken into consideration.
Important Figures: The reliance of SRH on their opening batsmen.
In IPL 2024, KKR emerged victorious in all three encounters against SRH: a league game, the first qualifier, and the final. Furthermore, out of their last ten matches against SRH, KKR has triumphed in eight of them.
KKR currently holds a powerplay run-rate of 7.8, which ranks second-lowest in the league. This places them just above CSK, whose rate stands at 7.4. Additionally, KKR shares the undesirable title of having the joint worst powerplay bowling strike-rate, tying with a rate of 54.
In terms of strike rate against fast bowling, Travis Head ranks second since IPL 2024 (minimum of 100 balls faced), while Abhishek Sharma holds the top spot with an IPL strike rate of 206 for the first ten deliveries in an innings (minimum of 75 balls).
In five IPL innings, Heinrich Klaasen has yet to be dismissed by Sunil Narine, managing to score 34 runs off 22 balls. However, against Varun Chakravarthy, Klaasen has recorded one dismissal but still has a decent record of 35 runs off 20 balls.
