The reigning IPL champions, Sunrisers Hyderabad will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in what will be a repeat of last year's eliminator. SRH won it last time around and will be looking to do the same when the two sides meet on Wednesday.
In David Warner and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, SRH have both the Orange and Purple cap holders of this year's tournament. They also come into the playoffs as the higher-ranked side (they finished third as opposed to KKR's fourth place finish), something that might just be a factor with rains being a constant presence in the evenings in the week leading up to the game.
Here are five reasons why Sunrisers Hyderabad can beat Kolkata Knight Riders:
Momentum that will be key
Momentum is a funny thing in cricket. When you have it, things that never seem possible suddenly do. Just ask Royal Challengers Bangalore, who got it at the end of last season and made it all the way to the finals. In a game between evenly matched sides, momentum will be crucial and it is Sunrisers Hyderabad who have it.
Even though SRH have had an oddly arithmetic season in which two wins have been followed by two losses and vice versa, they still come into the playoffs on the back of two wins (in a run of four wins from their last six matches). KKR have crawled to the playoffs and can certainly count themselves lucky after their superior run rate and the inability of the teams around them sent them through in fourth place.
In their last five group matches, KKR won just one and come into the game against SRH on the back of back-to-back losses. So the momentum is certainly with SRH, which will be key in a crucial encounter between two strong sides.
Presence of big-match players
Although SRH have made some tweaks to their side towards the end of the tournament, they still boast of some world-class players who thrive under pressure. Their top-order which consists of David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan and Yuvraj Singh don't only make for some for a destructive batting line-up but also players who thrive under high-pressure situations.
From his exploits in the previous edition of the Champions Trophy, Dhawan, who is currently the second-leading run-getter in the tournament, has established his credentials as a big-game player. That is something he will be looking to continue against KKR where a win will send them through a virtual semi-final.
World T20 2007, World Cup 2011, Natwest series, the number of times that Yuvraj has come through in big games is there for all to see and although he hasn't been consistent in this year's tournament, he will look to be there when it matters like he was last time around in the eliminator against KKR which SRH won.
Loss of Chris Woakes
In Andre Russell's absence, Gautam Gambhir admitted that one player cannot fill the void and there needed to be one with the bat and one with the ball. Chris Woakes has been the one with the ball that KKR were looking for and that is evident from the fact that only four bowlers have taken more wickets than the Englishman this season.
With his variations and exceptional control, Woakes has been an integral part of the KKR bowling unit that has helped them get to the playoffs. Along with Ben Stokes and co., Chris Woakes too has left the IPL to take part in a preparatory camp in Spain with the rest of the English squad ahead of the Champions Trophy that starts in just over two weeks.
The loss of their leading wicket-taker is a double blow for KKR. It not only means that they have lost an in-form bowler who has been amongst the wicket but also another weapon that they would have employed to stop the destructive SRH batting line-up from getting away at Bengaluru.
Strong bowling line-up
With the M. Chinnaswamy not the batting paradise it used to be in previous seasons, the eliminator is likely to be dominated by the team with the better bowling line-up. And even in the absence of Ashish Nehra, there is no doubt that SRH boast of the better attack with the ball.
In Bhuvneshwar Kumar, SRH have the leading wicket-taker in this year's tournament and in all likelihood the purple cap holder as well. Rashid Khan might be playing in his maiden IPL tournament but he has 17 wickets to his name and only four (including Bhuvi) have taken more wickets than the Afghanistan leg-spinner.
And the list doesn't stop there as unlike most sides, SRH boast of two in-form uncapped fast bowlers who have continued to trouble the batsmen. Siddarth Kaul has 16 wickets from 9 matches while Mohammed Siraj has 10 wickets from six. Both have especially impressive in this year's campaign and the combination of Kaul and Bhuvi at the death has proven to one that batsmen have found difficult to get away.
Two words - David Warner
Since moving to Sunrisers Hyderabad, David Warner has redefined the meaning of the word consistency in T20s. While the added responsibility of captaincy has helped his cause, the Australian opener has been in simply sublime form ever since he has made the switch to SRH, especially in the IPL.
In his 58 matches for the franchise, he has scored over 2,500 runs at an average of over 50 and a strike rate of just under 150. What those numbers highlight is consistency, the likes of which are seldom seen in the shortest format of the game. And the stats just get better when you consider his form since IPL 2016. Since the start of last year's IPL, he has played 30 matches in the tournament and has scored 1,452 runs at an average of over 60 and a strike rate of just under 150 with one century and 13 fifties to his name.
In this year's tournament, he has already scored over 600 runs, become the first SRH player to register a century and is the leading run-getter so far. So there can be little doubt that Warner is the trump card for SRH especially when you consider the fact that he scored 190 runs at an average of 85 with two fifties during last year's playoffs.
He already has scored 152 runs against KKR this year at an average of 76. And his last game against the franchise? A 59-ball 126 that included eight sixes and 10 fours. KKR fans, be afraid.
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