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THE TIMES OF INDIA | Mar 23, 2024, 18:24:57 IST
KKR vs SRH IPL 2024 Live Score: Many will walk down to the Eden Gardens on Saturday not only to enjoy the battle between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad, but also to watch the mini-battle between Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. The two Australian pacers have already hit the headlines after fetching all-time high price tags in the IPL. They have proved their credentials in world cricket and now need to do so in the world’s most lucrative league, which is a very different ball game. It will be a new experience for both, as Cummins said, “I don’t remember playing against him (Starc) in my 15 years of playing career. It will be a bit weird to see him in the rival dressing room tomorrow.” It will certainly be a new challenge for Cummins, who had won the ODI World Cup and World Test Championships but has never led a T20 side. With an IPL economy rate of 8.54, he is short of game time too, having bowled just seven overs in T20Is between the last IPL and now. Apart from carrying the burden of expectation after his Rs 20.5 cr package, the pacer will need to take hard calls by benching some of the best T20 players in the world. The 30-year-old, however, knows how to go about it. “I need to work with coaches and what they want to see out of me as well as a player,” he stated before getting down to work. Cummins will have to spearhead SRH’s pace attack, guide youngsters like Umran Malik and T Natarajan and also develop a good combination with Bhuvneshwar Kumar. His former side KKR, on the other hand, have spent a fortune on Starc, picking him for Rs 24.75 cr in the auctions. KKR have a poor Powerplay record and Starc is expected to set that right with mentor Gautam Gambhir calling the pacer their X-factor. Like Cummins, Starc’s record in T20 cricket too is not something extraordinary. The left-arm pacer has played only 27 IPL matches so far, returning to the tournament after 2015. He has played fewer matches in the Big Bash League at home and has not represented any sides in any other franchise leagues. Interestingly, Starc has played just two T20 matches outside World Cups in one-and-a-half years. The 34-year-old player from New South Wales must now do much better than conceding 8.14 runs an over across all T20s.
KKR vs SRH Live Score - Head, Klaasen key
On paper, KKR with a star-studded batting and spin-heavy attack to complement Mitchell Starc's pace, will be overwhelming favourites. But SRH, under the shrewd captaincy of Cummins, will definitely fancy their chances. Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen's batting firepower in the power-play and death overs will be vital.
KKR vs SRH Live Score - 'Leader' Cummins in focus
Pat Cummins will be leading SRH in the adjacent dug-out as the Australian captain will also have his task cut out. Cummins (Rs 20.50-crore) is the second-most expensive buy in this IPL and all eyes will be on him to revive the fortunes of the side that has had two wooden-spoon finishes in the last three seasons.
Numbers Game
IPL Live Score - The spin trio
The Gautam Gambhir-mentored side will rely heavily on the home conditions to offer some spin so as to give the likes of Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Suyash Sharma some assistance.
KKR vs SRH Live Score - Batting firepower
KKR boast of a star-studded top-order batting lineup in Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Phil Salt, Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas to go with the Andre Russell-Rinku Singh firepower at the death.
IPL Live Score - KKR's biggest assets
The biggest signing of this IPL is with KKR, and by acquiring Mitchell Starc at a record sum of Rs 24.75-crore, the left-arm quick will be under huge pressure to perform. His spell in power-play and the death overs will be the key. Starc and Andre Russell are the only two experienced pacers in KKR's ranks, and with no like-for-like replacements for them, their workload management will be crucial.
KKR vs SRH Live Score - Gambhir's new avatar
KKR's most successful leader Gautam Gambhir is back in his second innings as a mentor. His partnership with head coach Chandrakant Pandit, a shrewd tactician in domestic circuit, will be the key to their revival. "This is your franchise, make it or break it," team principal owner Shah Rukh Khan has told Gambhir. Under the former India cricketer's captaincy, KKR had a golden run from 2011-2017 -- two IPL titles, five playoffs and a runners-up finish in the now defunct Champions League T20 tournament.
IPL Live Score - Will Iyer feature in all games?
The Indian batter, after missing the entire season last year due to a back injury, returns to lead KKR, who have made some tactical additions while keeping the nucleus of the side intact. Shreyas sparkled with the bat with a 95 in Mumbai's Ranji Trophy triumph recently but it remains to be seen whether he'll be available for all the matches, given his fitness concerns.
IPL Live Score - Iyer comeback in focus
Shreyas Iyer's comeback from a long injury layoff will be in focus as IPL's two biggest signings, Australian pacers Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, go head to head in KKR's opening match against SRH.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Match 3 of IPL 2024 where Kolkata Knight Riders host Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens.
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