IPL 2024 Qualifier 1, KKR vs SRH: Key player battles
Qualifier 1 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) will see the battle between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Both these sides have played quality cricket this year as they ended the league stage as the top-two teams in the points table. Notably, the winner of Qualifier 1 will advance to the final straightaway. Let's decode the key player battles.
Sunil Narine vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar
KKR all-rounder Sunil Narine has been a menace in the powerplay overs this year. As per ESPNcricinfo, his strike rate in this phase was 173.15. However, Narine has been troubled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the past. The SRH pacer has dismissed the West Indies dasher twice across nine IPL meetings. The latter's strike rate in this battle is 112.
T Natarajan vs Andre Russell
Left-arm pacer T Natarajan has been handy for SRH with variations in the crunch overs. Andre Russell, who boasts a jaw-dropping IPL strike rate of 185 this year, might face the Indian fast bowler in the final five overs. As per ESPNcricinfo, Russell has smashed Natarajan for 43 runs off 26 balls in IPL while falling to him once across six meetings.
Travis Head vs Mitchell Starc
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh dismissed Travis Head for a golden duck in SRH's last league game. KKR speedster Mitchell Starc would want to a similar outcome in the upcoming game. However, his challenge won't be easy as Head scored the most powerplay runs in the league stage of IPL 2024, 386 at a stunning strike rate of 218.07.
Heinrich Klaasen vs Sunil Narine
Narine has also been a formidable force with the ball this year as his economy rate reads just 6.64 (15 wickets). His face-off with Heinrich Klaasen will certainly be enticing. The latter has been instrumental to SRH's dream run this year. His ability to hammer sixes for fun makes him one of a kind. Klaasen's strike rate against spin this season reads 197.61.
Key details about the match
The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host this duel on May 21 (7:30pm IST). The wicket here usually assists the batters right from the start. This venue has played host to several high-scoring games in the tournament. However, spinners can outfox the batters here. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on JioCinema.
