SRH coach Tom Moody says KKR's recent form won't have any bearing on the Eliminator

Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Tom Moody said that opponents Kolkata Knight Riders’ recent form will not be relevant as they go into the Eliminator. Having finished 3rd at the end of the league stage, defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad will face off against two-time winners KKR at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

Despite having started the season in fine fashion, the Kolkata Knight Riders have slumped in their last few games. From being table-toppers for a large part of this tournament, KKR finished at no.4. Gautam Gambhir’s boys were able to win just 1 out of their last 5 games.

However, Moody made it clear that KKR’s recent form will not have any bearing in the Eliminator. “KKR’s form over the past two weeks is not going to be relevant tomorrow. They have got a lot of experience in that team. There are lot of players who know how to win playoffs. So, we make sure that we focus on us and play with the same mindset we have been playing so far,” Moody was quoted as saying to the Times of India.

KKR have many a match-winner: Moody

Tom Moody also restrained from picking a particular player in the KKR camp who could cause trouble for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. He mentioned that KKR has a number of match-winners in their side, who have the capacity to take the game away from SRH.

“There are enough good players in their side. KKR have been champions twice. They have got some high-class players, so there is no individual that I would like to pick. They are good and that is why they are playing the eliminator,” Moody quipped.

The former Australian cricketer was all praises for KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir. He was appreciative of Gambhir for having led the Knight Riders to two IPL titles.

“I have got a lot of respect for Gambhir as a captain and as a player. He has led a very successful franchise and led from the front. We expect him to, by nature, he would not give any room because he is a competitive character as a leader and as a batsman. He is a terrific leader for KKR,” he said.

The SRH-KKR clash will be a rematch of last year’s Eliminator, which saw the Sunrisers overcome the Knight Riders quite comfortably. The Sunrisers eventually went on to lift the trophy in the final against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Moody shared that SRH has fond memories of last year’s Eliminator against the Kolkata Knight Riders and will look to replicate the result this time around as well.

“We have got fine memories of that match. Compared to last year, there are different circumstances this year. We have got different balance. KKR also have got different personnel. They are playing a different style of cricket. They also have (Chris) Lynn at the top of the order and (Sunil) Narine as well,” Moody said.