The match 47 of IPL 2023 between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday, 4 May promises to be an exciting contest. Hyderabad is on the ninth position in the points table, while Kolkata is on the eighth position.
SRH, led by Aiden Markram, have won three and lost five matches so far, while KKR, captained by Nitish Rana, have also won three and lost six matches in their campaign. In their last match, SRH secured a comfortable victory over the Delhi Capitals (DC). Meanwhile, KKR were dominated by the Gujarat Titans (GT) in their last match.
Two highly skilled teams are set to collide in what promises to be an exciting match. With both the teams eager to secure their fourth win in the IPL 2023. Both teams have played seven and eight matches in this season. Hyderabad has won 9 games, while Kolkata has won 15 games so far in the head to head encounters.
Also Read: IPL 2023 Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Weather Report for Match 47
Here are three player battles to watch out for during SRH vs KKR match:
1) Varun Chakravarthy vs Aiden Markram
With 13 wickets under his belt, KKR’s leading wicket-taker, Varun, will be in for a tough challenge against SRH’s spin master, Markram. Markram has already smashed 54 runs off Varun’s bowling from just 28 deliveries, with a mind-blowing strike rate of 192.85. However, Varun has also dismissed Markram once before, so it’s going to be an intense battle to see who comes out on top! The question is, can Varun dismiss Markram before he does more damage?
2) Bhuvneshwar Kumar vs Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Abhishek is the key opener for SRH and can give his team a solid start. But with Sunil Narine likely to make an appearance in the powerplay overs, Abhishek will need to be on top of his game. However, Abhishek seems to be quite comfortable facing the veteran spinner Narine, as he has already hammered him for 38 runs off just 19 balls. Abhishek’s impressive strike rate of 200 against Narine, with three sixes and two fours, could turn the tables in his favour. Who will emerge victorious in this nail-biting battle?
3) Abhishek Sharma vs Sunil Narine
Bhuvneshwar has a knack for bowling well against KKR and is all set to give his team a strong start in the powerplay overs. The surface in Hyderabad is also in Buvi’s favour, which could be a real worry for KKR’s opener, Rahmanullah Gurbaz. In their previous meeting, Bhuvneshwar dismissed Gurbaz after just three deliveries without any score. Will history repeat itself or will Gurbaz come out on top this time?