Key Points
Kamindu Mendis makes IPL debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad
Pat Cummins opts to bowl first at Eden Gardens
Moeen Ali returns to Kolkata Knight Riders lineup
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins said, "We are going to have a bowl first. It looks like a pretty good wicket. I'm terrible at reading wickets. Have a crack with the ball. We have played in the final. They played really well last year.
"Little bit of change for both sides. We have spoken about it. We are our best when we are aggressive. Most of those wickets have come with reckless batting. Not think too much about it. Keep moving forward. (On Aniket Verma) He's been amazing. That youthfulness. Who's bowling doesn't faze him? He's taking on nicely. You get a feel of how the game is going, and we are clear of who we want to be our impact subs," he said.
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane said, "Looks good. I am happy with the pitch. Even we were looking to bowl first on this wicket. I hope it will suit our spinners. While playing at home, you should get what you want. I am happy with the pitch. We need to assess the conditions as quickly as we can.
"This format is about playing with freedom. Don't want to think too much. We wanted to be ready for the game. Everyone has assessed their game and are ready. Moeen Ali comes in for Spencer Johnson. Whatever you discuss in the team meetings, at the end of the day, you have to come here, assess the conditions, and play accordingly."
Playing XIs:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Aniket Verma, Kamindu Mendis, Pat Cummins (c), Simarjeet Singh, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami, Zeeshan Ansari
Impact subs: Travis Head, Abhinav Manohar, Wiaan Mulder, Rahul Chahar, Jaydev Unadkat
Kolkata Knight Riders: Quinton de Kock (wk), Venkatesh Iyer (vc), Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Moeen Ali, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy
Impact subs: Luvnith Sujith Sisodia, Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora
Comments:
Excited to see Kamindu Mendis make his debut! He was brilliant in the Lanka Premier League last season. Hope he gets a good start today 🤞 #OrangeArmy
Interesting decision to drop Head. He was explosive in the last match. Simarjeet better justify his selection with the ball today.
KKR's middle order looks solid with Rinku and Russell! But I'm worried about our bowling - hope Moeen can make an impact today. #KKRHaiTaiyaar
Not sure about SRH's decision to field first. Eden Gardens is known to be batting friendly in the evening. Could backfire if KKR post a big total.
Aniket Verma has been such a revelation this season! Love watching young Indian talent shine in IPL 💫 Hope he gets more chances today!
Respectfully disagree with some team selections. KKR should've kept Spencer - his pace would've been useful on this pitch. Hope the spinners deliver though!
Can't wait to see Narine vs Klaasen battle! That's going to be 🔥🔥 Hope both teams put up a great show today. Cricket is the real winner!
