3 player battles to watch out for in KKR vs SRH, Qualifier 1 of IPL 2024 ft. Travis Head vs Mitchell Starc 

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take on the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2024. The clash is scheduled to be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, May 21.

The Shreyas Iyer-led side were the first team to make it to the knockout stage, and ended up as the table toppers. KKR have witnessed their last two matches being washed out due to rain, and will also be without the services of Phil Salt for the remainder of the tournament.

SRH, on the other hand, seized the second place on the back of merit and a little luck as well. The Orange Army had to share points with the Gujarat Titans (GT) after their clash in Hyderabad was abandoned. However, SRH went on to defeat the Punjab Kings (PBKS) after a mammoth run chase, which took their points tally to 17.

SRH needed (Rajasthan Royals) RR to lose their final league-stage match against KKR in Guwahati. However, the contest ended up being washed out, which also worked out for Pat Cummins and company. With SRH and RR level on 17 points apiece, the former claimed the second spot due to their superior net run rate.

The upcoming playoffs contest is a battle between two batting powerhouses and two smart bowling units, leaving us with plenty of matchups to explore.

On that note, let us take a look at three player battles to look forward to in the SRH vs KKR Qualifier 1 clash in IPL 2024.

#1 Travis Head vs Mitchell Starc

A riveting battle between two left-handed Australians might be on show right away if SRH bat first in the contest. Travis Head and Mitchell Starc have had contrasting seasons, but it would be foolish to rule the latter out when it comes to a crunch knockout fixture.

Head was not yet in the scheme of things when SRH last faced KKR. A lot has transpired since then. SRH will be dependent on Head for yet another prolific start to capitalize on while KKR will want Mitchell Starc to strike early with the new ball.

Head was recently dismissed for a golden duck by a left-handed bowler, and he would hope to avoid a repeat of the same. Starc has got the better of Head with his trademark full-swinging deliveries in Australia's domestic circuit in the past as well.

#2 Sunil Narine vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Sunil Narine has more or less punished all new ball bowlers in the competition so far but did not have the chance against Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The opening batter was run out the last time he played against SRH and could only play a handful of deliveries against the right-arm pacer.

Bhuvneshwar, being an experienced candidate, is bound to have a few tricks up his sleeve and will not let Narine dominate him from the word go. The pacer could also get some assistance with the venue often aiding new ball movement under the lights.

The pacer has managed to keep Narine quiet in the past as well, conceding only 32 runs off 30 deliveries at a strike rate of 106.66 in 11 meetings. He has also dismissed the left-hand batter twice, with the most recent instance being during the 2023 season.

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#3 Heinrich Klaasen vs Varun Chakravarthy

Heinrich Klaasen's exploits against the spinners are match-defining, more often than not. This one comes across as more important than the rest, because of how this particular match-up influenced the game, the last time these two sides met.

Klaasen clobbered Chakravarthy for a total of four sixes en route to an almost match-winning 63 runs off 29 deliveries. Since then, the spinner has settled into the tournament, even entering the Purple Cap race. As a result, a potential round two between these two players comes across as quite intriguing.

Overall, the Proteas hitter has a very dominant record against the mystery spinner. He has scored 29 runs off 12 balls in two meetings at a strike rate of 241.66.