While the Hyderabad threw their match in dramatic fashion against Bangalore, Kolkata were thoroughly outplayed by the Mumbai in the team's opening match of the 2020 Indian T20 League campaign.
The two teams will now go head-to-head, seeking their first win of the season at the Zayed Sheikh Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Here’s all you need to know about the fixture.
Bhuvneshwar's love affair against Kolkata
Hyderabad pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been terrific against Kolkata in the Indian T20 League.
The Indian speedster has picked up 27 wickets in 20 matches, seven more than the next best Lasith Malinga. Here are the most successful bowlers against Mumbai.
|
Bowler |
Matches |
Wickets |
|
Bhuvaneshwar Kumar |
20 |
27 |
|
Lasith Malinga |
17 |
20 |
|
R Ashwin |
18 |
20 |
|
R Vinay Kumar |
12 |
19 |
|
Zaheer Khan |
15 |
19 |
The 30-year-old also has the best average and strike rate of any bowler against Kolkata. Kumar bowled a splendid spell of 0-25 in his quota of four against Bangalore in Hyderabad's first outing of the season and the team will be hoping that he can repeat that performance while adding a wicket or two to his tally.
Can Sunil Narine lead Kolkata to a win?
Sunil Narine did not fire with the bat against Mumbai in Kolkata's season-opener but he put on a show with the ball, finishing with figures 1-22 in his four overs on a day when Mumbai put up 196 on the board.
While he’s been spectacular with the ball against almost every opponent in the Indian T20 League, Narine has struggled to be at his usual best against Hyderabad.
His economy rate against them is just 6.60, but his average is a poor 40.2 and his strike rate is an abysmal 37.2. Yuzvendra Chahal proved to be the difference between Hyderabad and Bangalore in their meeting and Narine will have to produce something similar for Kolkata to open their account this season.
Players to watch out for:
Jonny Bairstow
Coming off a century in England, opener Jonny Bairstow carried his good international form into the Indian T20 League, scoring 61 off 43 balls in Hyderabad's first match against Bangalore, but it was his dismissal in the 16th over that kickstarted an almighty collapse that Hyderabad couldn’t recover from. Bairstow needs to continue his good form and bat as deep into the innings as possible, given how vulnerable the Hyderabad batting line-up has proven to be.
Pat Cummins
Indian T20 League's most expensive acquisition Pat Cummins had a nightmare outing against Mumbai on his debut for Kolkata, giving away 49 runs in just three overs with the ball. He scored a quickfire 33 with the bat that showcased that he possesses the ability to bat if necessary, but Mumbai did not invest so heavily in Pat Cummins the batsman but rather Pat Cummins the strike bowler. The Australian has to put his disappointing debut behind him quickly as he will now be up against two of the sport’s most lethal batsmen in David Warner and Bairstow.
Stats to watch out for
1: Pacer Siddharth Kaul needs just one more wicket to reach 50 in the Indian T20 League. The 30-year-old has picked up 49 wickets at a strike rate of 20.02 and an average of 28.26.
3: Australian speedster Pat Cummins needs just three wickets to reach 100 wickets in T20s while New Zealand's Lockie Ferguson is also three shy of 50 wickets in the shortest format of the game.
5: Kolkata's Eoin Morgan needs just five sixes to complete 300 in T20s. No other Englishman has achieved this feat thus far.
5: West Indies' Andre Russell needs a fifer to complete 300 wickets in T20s. He will become the ninth player and the third West Indies player after Dwayne Bravo and Kolkata teammate Sunil Narine to reach the milestone.
76: David Warner needs 76 runs to become the leading run-scorer against Kolkata in the Indian T20 League. Rohit Sharma's overtook the Australian after scoring 80 in Kolkata's first outing of the season.
Writer’s pick:
Kolkata have a slew of great players but haven’t gelled together as a team under the leadership of Dinesh Karthik. Hyderabad looked on course for victory in their first match but their collapse-prone batting line-up succumbed yet again, leading to a loss. However, on balance, Hyderabad is a more settled side with a brilliant bowling attack while Kolkata are still trying to figure out what their best combination is up top and with the ball. This writer picks Hyderabad to score a win and open their account for the season.
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Feature image courtesy: AFP / Noah Seelam
