After a defeat against Chennai Super Kings in their previous game, Sunrisers Hyderabad is up against fellow losers, Kolkata Knight Riders, in the first fixture of the Super Sunday. Both the teams will look to register the victory and bring their campaign back on track.
In their game against Chennai Super Kings, few dismissals at the crucial juncture of the game led to the defeat. Manish Pandey has failed to live up to the hype in the No 3 position and the captain will look to address the issue. Kane Williamson tried to take the team over the line but it went in vain as he was dismissed at the death overs.
On the bowling front, Sunrisers Hyderabad has applied the control on the opposition but the death overs have proved expensive in the absence of Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. The team might bring in a death bowler or Jason Holder to address the bowling issues.
Here are the top three picks for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Kolkata Knight Riders in one of the most crucial fixtures of the season:
#1) Rashid Khan
The wily Afghanistan spinner is one of the top three picks for Sunrisers Hyderabad with their star bowler, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar out for the rest of the season. The player has remained effective in the middle overs with his wrong-un and googly. In the 13th edition of the cash-rich league, Rashid Khan has 10 wickets from 8 games at an economy rate of 5.34.
Kolkata Knight Riders have a dangerous batting line-up consisting of Andre Russell, Shubhman Gill and Eoin Morgan who can be at their explosive best on the day. Rashid Khan will have a daunting task and a crucial role to play.
#2) David Warner
The Australian opener has been very impressive for the Hyderabad outfit in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League. In eight games, he has 284 runs with two half-centuries to his name. He has averaged above 35 and will look to continue the fine run in IPL 2020.
Against Kolkata Knight Riders, that has a bowling unit consisting of Andre Russell and Pat Cummins, David Warner should perform and lay the foundation for a big total if they are to win the game. David Warner will be one of the top three picks for Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday.
#3) T Natarajan
The Tamilnadu left-arm bowler has impressed the cricket pundits and fans with his back of the hand variations and pinpoints yorkers. In the presence and absence of Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan is able to leave the mark behind him.
In eight games for Sunrisers Hyderabad, T Natarajan has claimed nine wickets. The bowler has an economy rate of 8.27 and has featured in every game. The bowler will have a huge task to cut out against the likes of Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik and Andre Russell who are looking to find their form in the league.
