Aakash Chopra picks 3 players each from KKR and SRH to watch out for in IPL 2024 clash, says the scales are tilted towards the former

Aakash Chopra has chosen three players each from the Kolkata Knights Riders (KKR) and the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) he will keenly watch in their IPL 2024 clash.

The two sides will lock horns at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in the second game on Saturday, March 23. Both sides have a change in leadership this year, with Shreyas Iyer returning as the skipper for KKR and Pat Cummins taking over the captaincy from Aiden Markarm for SRH.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra noted that he is eager to watch Shreyas' performances for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

"One is Shreyas Iyer. The way things have happened in his life for the last little while, you start feeling for him. There were some back issues, the central contract issue, and slight issues against the bouncer. When you have so many issues, you say let's hit the ground running. Make your bat do the talking," he said (19:30).

The former India opener named Rinku Singh and Mitchell Starc as the other two KKR players he will closely follow.

"The second player on my radar is Rinku Singh because he is in excellent form. Since the T20 World Cup is about to come, you want to see how he plays. The sort of bowling lineup the opposing team has, you will need a little striking power in the death overs. So that will be a good contest," Chopra reasoned.

"The third player in focus is this tournament's most expensive player - Mitchell Starc. When you have bought for him for so much money, you will expect him to hit his first ball on the stumps. The expectation is a hat-trick in the first over and the reality will be in front of us, whether he is worth 25 crores," the former KKR player added.

With 474 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 149.52, Rinku was KKR's highest run-getter in IPL 2023. The Kolkata-based franchise spent a whopping ₹24.75 crore to buy Starc at the IPL 2024 auction.

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"You scored runs against India, now score runs in the tournament happening in India" - Aakash Chopra on SRH's Travis Head

SRH bought Travis Head for ₹6.80 crore at the IPL 2024 auction.

Aakash Chopra picked Travis Head as the first SRH player to watch out for.

"Travis Head, because the Hyderabad team has gone in the Australian direction. You scored runs against India, now score runs in the tournament happening in India. The first thing is whether he will play, and if he plays, who will open with him? I will be very focused on how this player plays," he explained (21:25).

The reputed commentator named Heinrich Klaasen and Pat Cummins as the other two SRH players whose performances will draw a lot of attention.

"Heinrich Klaasen is at No. 2. He is a very good player. You might see him keeping as well. He bats amazingly well and will do so in this tournament as well. The opposing team will have spinners. The others might surrender against spin but he plays spin well," Chopra observed.

"Last but not the least, Pat Cummins, because we are talking about 45 crores between Cummins and Mitchell Starc. Some leagues have that much as their total budget. So how and where he will bowl, how many wickets he will take and how he captains will be my focus," he added.

Chopra picked KKR as the favorites heading into Saturday's evening game. He opined that the scales will be heavily towards the home team if the match is played on a turning track and questioned whether SRH will field Wanindu Hasaranga in their playing XI in such a scenario.