Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will kick off the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season on March 23 in Kolkata. The match will feature the return of Shreyas Iyer, who missed the entire 2022 season due to a back injury. Iyer will lead KKR, who have made some tactical additions while keeping the nucleus of the side intact.
KKR’s most successful captain, Gautam Gambhir, is back as a mentor. His partnership with head coach Chandrakant Pandit, a shrewd tactician in the domestic circuit, will be key to their revival. The team’s biggest signing is Australian pacer Mitchell Starc, who will be under huge pressure to perform. His spell in power-play and the death overs will be crucial.
SRH, under the leadership of Australian captain Pat Cummins, will also be looking to make a strong start. Cummins is the second-most expensive buy in this IPL and all eyes will be on him to revive the fortunes of the side that has had two wooden-spoon finishes in the last three seasons.
On paper, KKR with a star-studded batting and spin-heavy attack to complement Starc’s pace, will be overwhelming favorites. But SRH, under the shrewd captaincy of Cummins, will definitely fancy their chances. Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen’s batting firepower in the power-play and death overs will be vital. Their bowling also looks balanced with the experienced Cummins and India’s veteran death-overs specialist Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the lineup, while the likes of Washington Sundar and Wanindu Hasaranga will be crucial in the spin department.
