Knight Riders aim to settle scores with Hyderabad after 2018 heartbreak

Sunrisers Hyderabad players train at the Eden Gardens on Saturday. Pic/PTI

Kolkata: Ten months is a long time in the bustling world of top-flight cricket and Kolkata Knight Riders will be hoping the heartbreak of their last IPL outing has healed well. It was at the Eden Gardens that Sunrisers Hyderabad pipped KKR for a berth in the final last May with the sort of come-from-behind victory that can sow the seeds of doubt in the vanquished. The two brace for battle again, this time in their IPL season opener today.

A good start has become even more important in a World Cup year that will see franchises lose key foreign players to national duty towards the end of the gruelling league. While there have been several significant changes in personnel, the core strengths of KKR and SRH have remained largely intact. Both have big-impact batsmen but the difference may well stem from two bowling units where very capable spinners promise intriguing possibilities.

If the hosts have the likes of Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav and Piyush Chawla, SRH presents an engaging combo in Rashid Khan and Shakib-ul-Hasan. The Afghan leggie had destroyed KKR all but singlehandedly in the IPL Qualifier 2 with a brilliant all-round effort. The Sunrisers attack had shown an uncanny ability to defend low totals last season and an engaging battle against a power-packed opening combo is on the anvil if KKR decide to again go with Narine and Chris Lynn.

Addressing the 'four foreigners only' rule will be a bigger challenge for a team teeming with talent in that department. The return to action of David Warner is the big talking point and Yusuf Pathan spoke of how the Aussie motivated the team right through their campaign last year through the franchise's WhatsApp group.

"He always backed the players with encouraging messages. It didn't feel that he was not there with us last season," said Yusuf. Warner's comeback will no doubt be accompanied by trepidation. After his long lay-off, SRH will hope the southpaw finds his footing quickly, particularly with skipper Kane Williamson a doubtful starter with a shoulder injury.
Vijay Shankar returns to the ranks to add muscle. Wriddhiman Saha did well as an opener in the absence of Warner and the wicketkeeper-batsman may well have to play that role again with Shikhar Dhawan moving to Delhi Capitals.

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