IPL 2019: SRH's strongest playing XI for their first game against KKR

The second match of the IPL 2019 features the Kolkata Knight Riders taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eden Gardens on Sunday, 24th March.

After several long months of anticipation, the IPL is finally here, and it'll kick off what is going to be a 4-month long cricket festival - because the IPL will be followed by the World Cup 2019.

The SRH side look the most balanced and strong of all the teams, with several experts predicting that they will win the tournament this year. But SRH will be without Kane Williamson and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan for their first match, and David Warner is expected to lead the side.

Their opponents, the Kolkata Knight Riders, seem to be going through an injury crisis of their own as their star young pacers, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi, have been ruled out of the entire season due to injury.

Let's take a look at what SRH's strongest XI would be when they take on KKR to kick off their IPL 2019 campaign.

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Openers: David Warner (c) and Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper)

David Warner

Warner will make a very emotional return donning the Orange jersey, and will start his preparations for the World Cup with the game against KKR. He'll be eager to get going after an injury cut short his BPL 2019 campaign, where he seemed to be in good touch.

England opener and wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow is expected to don the gloves in the first match, and will want to get the team off to a great start. The English batsman doesn't slog too much but is able to get runs very quickly by playing proper strokes and finding the gaps.

Bairstow has a lot of expectations on his shoulders, and he'll want to make his debut IPL game a memorable one.

Middle Order: Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan and Deepak Hooda

Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan

We've gotten so used to seeing Kane Williamson batting at No. 3 that it will take some time to adjust to the fact that Manish Pandey will now be playing that role.

Pandey didn't deliver last season but this year seems like it's going to be a good one for him. He won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with Karnataka and put in some good performances there.

Yusuf Pathan made a few good contributions towards the end of last season. His experience will be needed in the SRH middle order as that's the only thing that seems to be lacking at the moment. Pathan can also bowl if the team needs him to.

Deepak Hooda had a poor season last time around but will look to redeem himself with solid performances this year. He had a rather middling time with Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and India A before this, so he'll want to use every opportunity that comes his way.

All-rounders: Vijay Shankar and Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan is strong even with the bat

The SRH all-rounders will be the ones to watch out for in this match as they could determine the way the match pans out.

Vijay Shankar was one of the players that SRH acquired after the trade with Delhi. The all-rounder will be full of confidence after making a strong bid for a WC spot out of nowhere; he will look to continue his run of good performances. Shankar will mostly bat at No. 4 after Manish Pandey, and try and take his team to a good total.

Rashid Khan has improved and worked on his batting, and can be considered a bowling all-rounder now. He played a few good cameos in the Big Bash League and made a lot of runs for his national side in the ODIs against Ireland.

With Bhuvneshwar Kumar a handy bat too, SRH will be tempted to play an extra bowler and trust Rashid to hold one end when SRH are in trouble. He will surely be at his menacing best with the ball at a Kolkata pitch which is made for wrist spinners.

Spinner: Shahbaz Nadeem

Shahbaz Nadeem is another player who Delhi traded in return for Shikhar Dhawan. The Jharkhand spinner had a good time in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and played very well for India A, which raised the question as to why he hasn't got chances in the Indian team.

In the absence of Shakib Al Hasan, the left-arm spinner will certainly play in the XI. He will look to bowl a few economical spells and partner Rashid Khan efficiently.

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Pacers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul and Billy Stanlake

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is expected to lead the SRH pace attack once again as they try to beat KKR away from home. Bhuvneshwar made an impressive comeback to the Indian team and will look to extend his good form here. He might get some early swing and will also return in the death overs to try and choke the run flow.

Siddarth Kaul was an important figure in SRH's campaign last season; he was excellent at the death and bowled the 'knuckle-ball' very well. His outing with the Indian team wasn't too good but he will look to retain his strong IPL form with an impactful performance in this match.

Billy Stanlake will be the X-Factor and if he plays, SRH will have a big match-winner in their side. The tall and quick pacer was excellent last season but couldn't play more than 6 matches due to an injury.

Stanlake has played a lot of T20 cricket since then and has refined his skills even more. He will certainly trouble the KKR top order and look to pick up early wickets.