The temperature soared up to 43 degrees on Monday afternoon, but braving the excruciating weather conditions, a large number of fans gathered outside the Narendra Modi Stadium to catch a glimpse of their favourite cricketers.
They waited for a while before being informed by the security personnel that as it was a travel day for all the four teams that would feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) playoffs, there would not be any practice sessions and players, too, would not be around.
While it was sort of heartbreak for the hundred-odd fans, the lack of turnaround time to compete in a high-intensity qualifier will pose a challenge for Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The main entrance of the Narendra Modi Stadium decorated with posters of all four Playoffs captains, ahead of The IPL 2024 Qualifier 1 between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI/The Hindu
Having travelled from two different parts of the country, KKR from Guwahati and SRH from Hyderabad, neither team had a chance to gauge the surface, where the batters could have the edge. It will be interesting to see how they take things in their stride and put the best foot forward.
A pinch of Salt
Despite finishing as the table-topper, KKR has not played much cricket over the last few days as its last couple of games were washed out, and in the absence of its lynchpin Phil Salt - the destructive batter from England - a steady opening partnership is all KKR will hope for.
Having amassed 435 runs in the tournament, Salt’s absence has created a huge void at the top and the abandoned fixture against Rajasthan Royals the other evening robbed KKR of an opportunity to give Rahmanullah Gurbaz a go at the top with Sunil Narine, who has scored 461 runs so far.
While the KKR team management hopes to get the house in order, an unsettled opening pair gives SRH’s pace bowling attack, led by skipper Pat Cummins, an opportunity to strike early and make an impact.
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However, that may not be easy. Even though captain Shreyas Iyer has had a mixed outing so far, the Knight Riders have enough firepower in its middle order with Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh and Andre Russell around. Having missed out on a large part of the tournament, Rana returned to the side for its game against Mumbai Indians and his 23-ball-33 added solidity to the middle-order, and ahead of the key clash, KKR will hope for its former captain to step up.
Power-packed batting
SRH, on the other hand, returned to action after a 10-day break - courtesy schedule and games being abandoned - and chased down 215 at ease against Punjab Kings the other evening, and it will be hoping to keep the momentum going.
Sunrisers certainly has one of the fiercest batting line-ups in the tournament, with Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma both scoring at a strike rate exceeding 200. Throughout the season, the opening duo has made batting look easy and both of them have complemented each other perfectly. With 533 runs - with one century and four fifties - southpaw Head has not only made life difficult for bowlers but has also been able to give a head start to SRH innings.
His aggressiveness and positive attitude have also inspired youngster Abhishek (467 runs) to bank on his natural game and perform to his potential.
With the two coming up with consistent performances, the Hyderabad outfit has found a dependable option in Rahul Tripathi at No.3, who has been able to accelerate as well as handle tricky situations, setting the stage for Heinrich Klaasen.
The South African seems to have found his mojo after a dip in form in the middle of the tournament, with a crucial knock of 42 against Punjab Kings, bringing relief to his team.
The revenge-mindset
Even though KKR will be relying on its battery of spinners to back Mitchell Starc, the two-time champion needs to be fearless against a high-flying opponent. The two sides have played just once this season and in that high-scoring thriller at Eden Gardens, it was the home team that clinched a last-ball four-run victory.
Back at a venue where he led Australia to an ODI World Cup title six months back, Cummins will be hoping to not only take revenge against the Knight Riders but also ensure a ticket to Chennai for the final.
Fasten your seat belts and gear up for a high-octane contest.
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