IPL 2016, KKR vs SRH Playing 11: Probable XI for Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad

The penultimate match of the VIVO IPL 2016 league stage will feature Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad as they battle it out at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. It will be an extremely crucial match for home side KKR as their progression to the playoff stage of the tournament depends on the result. SRH, meanwhile, sit pretty on top of the points table at present but will want to win in order to end up being among the top two teams. Kolkata had been doing well for most of the season but have suffered consecutive losses in their last 2 games. Hyderabad, on the other hand, had started the tournament poorly but produced a fine performance post that to make it to the top of the table.

Here's a look at the team which may play for KKR on Sunday:

Batting

Skipper Gautam Gambhir has done it once again for Kolkata Knight Riders in the ongoing season as he is the team's leading run-getter with 457 runs from 13 innings including 5 fifties. His opening partner, Robin Uthappa, has done a good job too as he has scored 358 runs in the tournament so far.

Hard-hitting batsman Yusuf Pathan has been at his best this year with a tally of 307 runs at an incredible average of close to 77 and a strike-rate of 147.59. Among the other batsmen, Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav have played decently with more than 150 runs each. Shakib Al Hasan, though, has not been at his prolific best as he has scored just 107 runs in 6 innings.

All-rounders

Andre Russell has been the ace all-rounder for the Knight Riders in the ninth edition of the IPL. The West Indian cricketer has scored 188 runs at a thunderous strike rate of 164.91 and also a number of wickets to show for his efforts. Shakib has not been able to inspire his team much this season with just over 100 runs and very few wickets.

Bowling

Russell has picked up 15 wickets in the 2016 IPL to be the leading wicket-taker for Kolkata Knight Riders. Paceman Umesh Yadav has been effective, too, with 10 wickets in the 9 matches he has played. Piyush Chawla has been the team's most successful spinner as he has claimed 11 wickets and conceded his runs at under 8 per over.

Ace spinner Sunil Narine may not have been at his best this year but he has still managed to grab 8 wickets and boasts of an economy rate of just 7. South African fast bowler Morne Morkel, too, has produced a credible performance with 8 wickets in 9 matches. Chinaman bowler Brad Hogg played a few matches and managed to take 4 wickets as well.

Probable Playing XI

Gautam Gambhir (c), Robin Uthappa (wk), Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Suryakumar Yadav, Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Morne Morkel.

David Warner has been his team’s best batsman this year

Here's how the SRH team may possibly line up for the match:

Batting

Skipper David Warner's sublime form with the bat has been one of the major reasons behind Hyderabad's success in the 2016 IPL. The southpaw has hammered 640 runs in 13 innings at an average of 58.18 and a smashing strike rate of more than 152. His partner at the top of the order, Shikhar Dhawan, has also struck form in this season with a tally of 412 runs in 13 matches till now.

Yuvraj Singh, who made his debut for SRH this year after returning from an ankle injury, has been in decent touch for his 127 runs which include a top score of 42 from 24 balls against KXIP. Kane Williamson played 5 matches but managed to score just 117 runs at an average of just over 23. Eoin Morgan has had a pretty dismal season with the bat and so have wicket-keeper batsman Naman Ojha and Deepak Hooda.

All-rounders

Moises Henriques is the only all-rounder to have made some kind of impact for the Sunrisers in the ongoing IPL. The Australian has scored over 100 runs and claimed 10 wickets in the 13 matches that he has appeared in. Yuvraj and Hooda have not been utilised much as all-rounders whereas others like Ashish Reddy and Bipul Sharma failed to create an impression.

Bowling

The strongest aspect for Sunrisers Hyderabad has been their exemplary bowling with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mustafizur Rahman leading the charge. Kumar has rediscovered his mojo this year with 16 wickets in the tournament. On the other hand, young Rahman has enhanced his reputation with 15 wickets at an economy rate of under 7.

Veteran pacer Ashish Nehra was having a good season, too, with 9 wickets in his kitty but he was unfortunate to be ruled out due to injury. Indian pacer Barinder Sran has done a commendable job, having claimed 11 wickets in 10 matches. Henriques has also proved to be a great support bowler for the frontline pacers.

Probable Playing XI

David Warner (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, Yuvraj Singh, Moises Henriques, Deepak Hooda, Naman Ojha (wk), Karn Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Barinder Sran, Mustafizur Rahman.