What

Match 54 of VIVO IPL 2018 will be the clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders.

SRH are table-toppers and were the first team to secure a top-two berth in the standings. After a string of six consecutive wins, SRH has lost a little momentum recently, suffering defeats in their last two matches. The form of the bowlers must worry the team management; SRH has now conceded more than 180 in their last three matches. They had conceded 180 or more only twice in their first ten matches.

KKR are nearly there in the playoffs; they have 14 points, and a win in this match will guarantee them a place in the top four. Should they lose though, and other teams catch up, there is a chance they can be eliminated.

KKR have blown hot and cold; they have not won or lost more than two matches on the trot. They have won their last two matches – against Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals; if they are able to extend that streak to three wins, they will be well on their way to the playoffs.

When

19 May 2018, 2000Hrs (IST)

Where

Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad

Impact Batsmen

Kane Williamson has batted in this tournament like many would bat in a dream. The SRH captain has amassed 625 runs so far this season; he has made 8 half-centuries in 13 visits to the crease. His last knock – 81 against RCB, will be included among the finest T20 knocks ever. Williamson brings an element of purity to batting in T20s; in the last game though, he emerged from his comfort zone and played a few strokes one isn’t accustomed to seeing him play. Among the others that SRH need firing are Shikhar Dhawan, who has been in excellent form in white-ball cricket, and Alex Hales.

The most-dangerous batsmen in the SRH ranks are Sunil Narine and Dinesh Karthik. The former is capable of destroying bowling attacks in a matter of minutes; if he happens to be at the crease for a handful of overs, he would have seen KKR off to a flying start. Karthik is at the core of KKR’s batting – literally too; the wicketkeeper-batsman bats in the middle-order and controls the innings. Chris Lynn has not set VIVO IPL 2018 alight just yet, but the Australian has batted very responsibly and has contributed important runs to KKR’s cause.

Impact Bowlers

The two bowlers who could have a huge influence on the outcome of this match are SRH’s Rashid Khan and KKR’s Sunil Narine. No matter how often they play them, batsmen continue to struggle against the two spinners. Both spinners are their respective team’s highest wicket-takers. Their season’s returns are pretty similar too; Rashid has 16 wickets (economy 7.17, strike-rate 19.50), while Narine has 15 wickets (economy 7.77, strike-rate 19.60).

SRH have the better support cast on the bowling front; Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddharth Kaul, and Sandeep Sharma have been outstanding for the most part of the season. Will they be able to rediscover their mojo?

Team Head to Head

Overall: Matches – 13, Sunrisers Hyderabad won – 5, Kolkata Knight Riders won – 8

Trivia

Sunrisers Hyderabad have an outstanding record at home; they had a 6-1 win-loss record at home in the 2017 season, and this season they’ve so far won 5 of their 6 matches.

SRH’s overall economy in the first ten matches was 7.24. In the last three matches, their bowlers have gone for 10.18 runs per over.

12 of Sunil Narine’s 15 wickets in VIVO IPL 2018 are of Indian batsmen.

In 6 matches away from the Eden Gardens this season, Sunil Narine has only managed 4 wickets and has an economy of 9.42.

KKR have had a massive issue finding the initial breakthrough; they have conceded 7 opening partnerships of 50 or more in their last 9 matches.

What Next

Sunrisers Hyderabad will travel to Mumbai to compete in Qualifier 1 – the first of the playoff matches – which will be played on May 22; they will take on the other team that finishes in the top two of the VIVO IPL 2018 standings. Kolkata Knight Riders will await results from other matches to know where they go from here.