IPL 2022: Match 61 – Predicted Sunrisers Hyderabad Playing XI vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have lost four consecutive matches and are currently at the seventh position with five victories in the IPL 2022 points table. They have to win their remaining games by a big margin to seal the playoffs spot. In their last league match, they faced a 67-run loss against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

The team’s performances in both departments of the game were not up to the mark which paved way for the undesired result. In their next league game, they will be up against the challenge of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at MCA Stadium, Pune. If Washington Sundar and T. Natarajan are deemed fit for the match, they are expected to replace Jagadeesha Suchith and Fazalhaq Farooqi, otherwise, the team will possibly play with the same set of players.

Here’s a look at the Sunrisers Hyderabad predicted playing XI against KKR:

Openers: Abhishek Sharma and Kane Williamson (c)

The openers played a key role in helping the team to gain momentum in the first half of the tournament. However, their form has been a matter of concern, as the team is under pressure and is unable to stitch partnerships in the powerplay overs, which has evaded them to get a good start.

The youngster Abhishek Sharma is the leading run-scorer for the team with 331 runs at an average of 30.09. However, his recent scores are read as 0, 7, and 39, and he needs to rediscover his form in order to help the team in securing crucial wins.

On the other hand, captain Kane Williamson has been out-of-form so far in the tournament, barring a stuttering knock of 57 in one of the fixtures. On most occasions, he has not been able to convert his starts into big ones and has only 199 runs at a poor strike rate of 96.13.

Middle-order: Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran (wk) and Aiden Markram

The middle-order has been impressive for the team throughout the tournament. Their contributions have helped Sunrisers to recover from a bad start on a few occasions and have exuded confidence to the whole squad. Coming at number three, Rahul Tripathi has 308 runs in 11 innings at an impressive strike rate of 164.70. In the last league match, he slammed 58 off 37 balls and was the top scorer for the team.

The Caribbean batter Nicholas Pooran has been at his best form in the ongoing season and is striking the ball in a clean manner. In 11 innings, Pooran has 261 runs at a strike rate of 147.45. His top score of 64* came against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

The Proteas batter Aiden Markram is another consistent performer for the team, who has stitched crucial partnerships to steer the team in the middle overs and provide a late flourish in the death overs. In total, he has garnered 326 runs at an average of 65.20. But, he would certainly look to improve his performance, as his last knock fetched him just 21 off 27 balls.

All-rounders: Shashank Singh and Jagadeesha Suchith

This department has rather been inconsistent for the team, and the team has tried different players as well. The all-rounder Washington Sundar has been away from the action in almost half of the matches due to a hand injury. Sundar is expected to join the team in this fixture only if he is considered fit to play, otherwise, Jagadeesha Suchith might continue to play this game as well.

After a terrific knock of 25* from six balls against the Gujarat Titans, Shashank Singh has not delivered for the team and he might look to regain his form for the upcoming matches. In total, he has 58 runs at an average of 19.33.

The left-arm spinner and a handy batter, Suchith has certainly been a utility player over the years but has not got enough opportunities under his belt. In the last game, he finished with figures of 30/2 from his four overs, which included the key wicket of Virat Kohli.

Bowlers: Kartik Tyagi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Umran Malik

The two players, who are confirmed to be a part of the Playing XI are Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umran Malik. The experienced pacer, Kumar has been helpful for the team in containing runs in every stage of the innings. The 32-year-old has only 10 wickets in 11 appearances and has an economy of 7.30.

The young pacer Umran Malik has been terrific with his pace this season and has been growing in this aspect as the matches have progressed. In 11 matches, he has picked up a total of 15 wickets at an economy of 9.10. However, Malik has been quite expensive in the last three matches and needs to improve his performance going ahead.

If deemed fit to play, the left-arm pacer T. Natarajan might return to the side. It will be interesting to see who from Kartik Tyagi or Fazalhaq Farooqi will make way for the pacer. Both Tyagi and Farooqi returned with 40+ runs in the last match from their four overs, but the former picked up one wicket as well.

SRH’s predicted playing XI for the KKR clash: Abhishek Sharma, Kane Williamson (c), Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Shashank Singh, Jagadeesha Suchith/ Washington Sundar, Kartik Tyagi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Fazalhaq Farooqi/ T Natarajan, Umran Malik.