KKR vs SRH Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2021 match?

Morgan and Warner are two IPL captains whose recent fortunes have taken a massive nosedive

The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have only pride to play for in the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL), but they can spoil the party of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) when the two teams face off in Match 39 on Sunday, October 2.

KKR are placed fourth in the IPL 2021 points table at the time of writing. A woeful run in the first phase of the league has been followed by an astonishing revival in the UAE. Although Eoin Morgan's men have won only three of their five matches in the second leg, the manner of their victories and the closeness of their defeats have ensured a positive net run rate.

With their final two league games being against the two bottom-most teams, KKR will fancy their chances of a playoff spot, something which has eluded them in the last two seasons. SRH, who have nothing to lose, will be the first hurdle in their path.

With only two wins in 11 games, the Orange Army have been nothing short of embarrassing in IPL 2021 and have already been ruled out of playoff contention. Giving youngsters like Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma and Abdul Samad valuable game time will be their only remaining contribution to IPL 2021.

The first meeting between the two sides this season saw KKR register a 10-run win, with Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi recording fifties.

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IPL 2021: Indecisive KKR seek answers in must-win game

KKR's team combination has gone haywire after injuries to Andre Russell and Lockie Ferguson. They attempted to smooth over Russell's absence with the inclusion of Tim Southee, but Ferguson's niggle threw a spanner into their works.

Tim Seifert was brought in instead of a bowler, throwing KKR's bowling plans into disarray. Barring his final over, Venkatesh Iyer couldn't serve as the third pacer effectively. A pace attack that also has Shivam Mavi and Tim Southee doesn't exactly inspire confidence, especially at the death, and KKR will hope that they have at least Ferguson back for this game.

Barring the abysmally out-of-form Eoin Morgan and the struggling Shubman Gill, the two-time champions have a capable batting lineup. Iyer, Rahul Tripathi and Nitish Rana have stepped up recently, and will be key against SRH's middle-overs choke spearheaded by Rashid Khan.

Rashid copped some stick against the Chennai Super Kings but he remains the key man in this SRH bowling attack, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar struggling to not only pick up wickets but even bowl in the 130s. Khaleel Ahmed might be brought back if he's fit, since Siddharth Kaul and Sandeep Sharma are far too one-dimensional to be part of a winning team.

Jason Roy's Man of the Match performance on SRH debut was followed by an ugly hoick against CSK, and his team's fortunes are directly tied to his. Unless he and Kane Williamson can lead the batting display, SRH's middle-order youngsters can't be expected to shoulder the burden of runs on their own.

KKR are in form, even if some of their players don't fall under the same category. They should have the resources to hand SRH another IPL 2021 loss even without Russell and Ferguson.

Prediction: KKR to win Match 39 of IPL 2021