Inconsistent Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) take on each other in a crucial Indian Premier League 2023 (IPL) match 47 on Thursday, May 4. SRH ended their three-match losing streak with an impressive nine-run win over Delhi Capitals in their last game. Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen produced impressive fifties to help SRH post a big total of 197/6 while batting first and then Mayank Markande shone with a two for 20 to restrict Delhi to just 188/6.
Despite a win, Aiden Markram-led side remains in the ninth position in the points table with just three wins from eight games in IPL 2023. Harry Brook and Rahul Tripathi have struggled to provide consistency at the top while last season's leading wicket-taker Umran Malik is enduring a poor season with just five wickets from seven innings. Spin all-rounder Washington Sundar is ruled out of the remainder of the season as Akeal Hosein made his debut in the last game.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders suffered their sixth defeat of the season as they lost against reigning champions Gujarat Titans by seven wickets in the last game. Rahmanullah Gurbaz smashed 81 off 39 to help Kolkata score 179 runs while batting first but Gujarat eased to the target in just 17.5 overs. KKR's bowling woes continue as Umesh Yadav remains unavailable for this fixture while Shardul Thakur is expected to play but again will be limited to only bowling.
Match Details
Match: IPL 2023, Match 47
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Broadcast and Live Streaming: Star Sports Network and JioCinema
Probable Playing XIs
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Mayank Agarwal, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram (c), Harry Brook, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Akeal Hosein, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, Umran Malik, T Natarajan
Kolkata Knight Riders: Narayan Jagadeesan (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (c), Jason Roy, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana
Pitch and Weather Report
The pitch at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium favors batters in T20 cricket with an average first innings score of 158 in IPL. Spinners have enjoyed a little help from the surface this year but moisture is expected for this game due to recent rain showers in Hyderabad. The Pacers will enjoy good movement on the ball but fans can expect a high-scoring clash.
There is a forecast of a cloudy sky during the match time. Temperature is likely to hover around 25-28 degree Celsius during game time and there is a 5% of chance of rain in the latter stages of the game.
Predictions
Best Batter of the Match: Abhishek Sharma
The young Indian opener smashed 67 off just 36 with the help of 12 fours and one six against Delhi Capitals in the last game. Abhishek showcased his talent again as senior batters struggled against Delhi's pace attack. Abhishek also recorded 32 off 17 against KKR in the first leg this season and will be looking forward to another impactful knock on Thursday.
Best Bowler of the Match: Mayank Markande
The Indian spinner has been the best bowler for Sunrisers Hyderabad this season so far. Once again he emerged as the best bowler with two wickets for 20 against Delhi Capitals in the last game. Markande is leading the bowling chart for SRH with 10 wickets from just six innings at an impressive economy rate of 6.41 in IPL 2023.
Who will win the Match: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
