KKR vs SRH, IPL 2024: Eden Garden Welcomes its First Match of IPL Season

The return of captain Shreyas Iyer and coach Gautam Gambhir, along with the opportunity to start the Indian Premier League season at home after four previous editions, should spur Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to give it their all when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Eden Gardens on Saturday.

KKR’s Arsenal:

Prominent Australian left-armer Mitchell Starc, who cost a lot for the team to acquire, will spearhead the pace department and be vital in PowerPlay and death overs.

Although Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, the reliable spin pair, would be given preference, KKR will consider alternative choices. Despite concerns about his fitness, Shreyas' comeback appears to have strengthened KKR's batting lineup. It is further supported by West Indians Andre Russell and his backup Sherfane Rutherford, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, and others.

Sunrisers Hyderabad Arsenal:

In SRH colors, Australian skipper Pat Cummins, captain of his new T20 team, will have to distinguish himself against his former team.Renowned pacers Jaydev Unadkat, Umran Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Marco Jansen, and T. Natarajan will be with him. In the absence of Wanindu Hasaranga, SRH may have to rely on Washington Sundar, Mayank Markande, and Shahbaz Ahmed in the spin department. Batting confidence is inspired by Aiden Markram, Travis Head, Heinrich Klassen, Glenn Phillips, Rahul Tripathi, Mayank Agarwal, Abdul Samad, and Anmolpreet Singh. Selecting four foreigners from a large pool of candidates will be a hefty task, though.

Conclusion:

Fortress Eden Gardens may be difficult for SRH to penetrate, as KKR is benefiting from the home field advantage. Either team will find it intriguing to interpret the pitch, which was left under cover throughout this week's storms.