KKR vs SRH: Bhuvneshwar Kumar is About To Make A History in IPL 2024

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been a key part of Sunrisers Hyderabad since he joined the franchise in 2014, and the fast bowler is on the verge of breaking a record when his team faces Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match of IPL 2024 on Saturday. Bhuvneshwar is just four wickets away from being the league's first Indian bowler to reach 150 wickets for a single team. Until far, only Lasith Malinga (Mumbai Indians) and Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders) had taken 150 wickets for a single team in the Indian Premier League.

Iyer to lead KKR -

Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer's returns after a long injury layoff while he played in the Ranji matches. Australian pacers Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins will square off as they are the biggest signings of IPL 2024.

The Indian batter, who missed the entire season last year owing to a back injury, returns to lead KKR, which has made some tactical changes while keeping the core of the team intact.

Shreyas shone with the bat, scoring 95 in Mumbai's recent Ranji Trophy victory, but it's unclear whether he'll be available for all matches due to fitness issues.

Gambhir's mentorship will be crucial for KKR -

Gautam Gambhir, KKR's most successful leader, has returned as a coach for the second time. His collaboration with head coach Chandrakant Pandit, a well-known local statistician, will be critical to their recovery.

"This is your franchise, make it or break it," said team principal owner Shah Rukh Khan to Gambhir. From 2011 to 2017, KKR enjoyed a golden run under the former India cricketer's captaincy, winning two IPL titles, five playoffs, and finishing second in the now-defunct Champions League T20 event.

The biggest signing of the 2018 IPL is with KKR, and by paying a record fee of Rs 24.75 crore for Starc, the left-arm quick would be under intense pressure to perform.

His spell in power play and deathovers will be critical. Starc and Andre Russell are KKR's only two seasoned pacers, and with no comparable replacements, workload management will be critical.