The 8th match of the IPL 2020 will see the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) taking on the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Both the teams lost their first matches in the ongoing IPL 13 and will be looking to get on the points table with a win here.
The teams need to bring out their best playing XIs in this match if they need a victory and looking at their previous encounters, the team management of both franchises will be looking for a few changes. Therefore, Team COC presents to you the Predicted Playing XIs for the Kolkata Knight Riders v Sunrisers Hyderabad match.
IPL 2020: Match 8, KKR v SRH – Fantasy Cricket Tips, Possible Playing XIs, Pitch and Weather
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS (KKR)
The Kolkata Knight Riders found themselves overpowered and outplayed by a methodical Mumbai Indians in their first match of IPL 2020. After conceding a total of over 190, they failed to get going in the chase altogether, as neither the top order nor the famed middle order got to work.
However, things against Sunrisers Hyderabad might change somewhat, with KKR rethinking their strategy when it comes to bowling and batting. Everyone was surprised to see Kamlesh Nagarkoti’s name missing from the XI and KKR picked Sandeep Warrier instead. However, he went for 34 runs in his 3 overs, and they might be tempted to replace him.
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They will also hope their 15.50 cr diamond Pat Cummins finds his form sooner than later.
On the batting front, Nikhil Naik's inclusion raised a few eyebrows, given that he is a wicketkeeper-batsman and they can do better with Rinku Singh coming in for him, given that he is a left-hander and a terrific fielder as well. Prasidh Krishna may be considered for his pace in the fast bowling department if they wish to replace Warrier.
SUNRISERS HYDERABAD (SRH)
Sunrisers Hyderabad had an overall good day in the field against RCB in their opening match until Jonny Bairstow got out in the chase of 164 runs. They lost their last 7 wickets for 30 odd runs and lost the match that they should have won.
Learning from that, SRH somehow needs to strengthen that amazingly weak middle order of theirs, even it means bringing in someone like Wriddhiman Saha or Abdul Samad, as they lacked both an anchor and a big-hitter after their openers did their job.
There is no update on Kane Williamson's injury status, but if he is available, it will be a huge boost to SRH's batting.
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Mitchell Marsh being ruled out of the tournament due to an injury has proven to be a headache to them. They now need to find a big hitter which can either be Fabien Allen or Mohammad Nabi coming in. However, both are spin-bowling all-rounders and they need a medium pacer to back up their pacers.
They have put in a lot of faith in youngsters Priyam Garg and Abhishek Sharma but should bring in someone experienced to guide them in a tricky situation. Bhuvneshwar, Sandeep, and Natarajan were very good with both the new and old ball. SRH will hope that their trump card Rashid Khan finds form quickly.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Predicted Playing XI:
Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine, Dinesh Karthik (C&WK), Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav, Sandeep Warrier
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Predicted Playing XI:
David Warner (C), Jonny Bairstow (WK), Manish Pandey, Priyam Garg, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan
