Ipl 2018 Qualifier 2, SRH vs KKR ,Match Preview

Topping the points table at the end of the league stage doesn't guarantee success. Or even a spot in the final for that matter. Ask Delhi Daredevils of 2009 and 2012 or Gujarat Lions of 2016. Sunrisers Hyderabad flew off the blocks, secured the sort of wins that set the benchmark, and eventually earned the top-spot finish. Yet, as they head into the second qualifier - against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Friday - there's a blot of the size of four straight defeats on their otherwise enviable campaign. KKR's path to the knockouts, on the other hand, has been a zig-zag affair, which needed four successive wins to stay in the competition.

But the cliched talk of 'peaking at the right time' and 'momentum' is often only for the confines of the press conference rooms, and seldom make the difference beyond the boundary line. More so in a knockout game where past performances are of no significance.

If SRH were watching, the key inference for them from the Eliminator clash between KKR and RR is that bowlers are going to call the shots once again. Luckily for them, they come adequately armed.

Going into the second Qualifier, there's a structural difference in the primary bowling combinations of the two sides. SRH go with the spin duo [Rashid and Shakib] and pace troika [Kaul, Bhuvneshwar and Sandeep] while KKR flip it around with two pacers [Prasidh and Russell] and three spinners [Kuldeep, Narine and Chawla]. But the disparity in styles has been largely offset by the neck-to-neck returns - KKR's five have bagged 69 wickets, while SRH's have 70 so far.

The stiff competition between the two set of protagonists, and how much they can influence the result might leave the supporting cast for the night - the batsmen - with all to do and very little scope for a misstep.

What to expect: The rains have completely stayed away since Tuesday, which means the surface may not be as damp and moisture-laden as it was two days ago. The assistance to spin bowling is still likely to exist. The match day is expected to be greeted with clear skies.

Team News:

Kolkata Knight Riders

The one soft spot in the KKR line-up has been Javon Searles at No. 8. The West Indian has made four appearances for KKR, batting in a total of six balls and scoring seven runs. He has bowled 3 overs across two games, conceding 37 runs and picking a wicket. KKR may have a deep batting line-up, but they're down to exactly five bowlers if he's not handed the ball. But he might still retain his spot, considering how expensive Tom Curran and Mitchell Johnson have been. South African all-rounder Cameron Delport hasn't got a game this season, and it is unlikely that the franchise will take a punt in the knockout fixture.

Probable XI: Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Javon Searles, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Carlos Brathwaite's 29-ball 43 should keep him in the side ahead of Alex Hales, despite a costly 18th over that nudged the result in CSK's favour in a very tightly-contested Qualifier 1. They should stick to the same line-up.

Probable XI: Shikhar Dhawan, Shreevats Goswami, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Carlos Brathwaite, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul

Head-to-head record

SRH 5 - 9 KKR

Team record at Eden

SRH 1 - 5 KKR.