Two-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will host Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Match 3 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday, March 23. SRH finished a disappointing 10th in the IPL 2023 standings last year. The 2016 IPL champions will enter the upcoming season under a new skipper Pat Cummins and a new head coach Daniel Vettori. On the other hand, the Shreyas Iyer-led KKR will also aim to bounce back after an underwhelming IPL 2023. The homecoming of former skipper Gautam Gambhir as a mentor will be a boost for the side.
Ahead of the exciting contest at the Eden Gardens, we look at the predicted XIs of both sides.
KKR Predicted XI
Phil Salt (wicketkeeper)
After his recent exploits with the bat in the West Indies tour, England's wicketkeeper-batter Phil Salt is expected to open the proceedings for KKR. He's made 5,308 runs in 228 T20 games, making him an asset to any team.
Venkatesh Iyer
KKR will also bank on their talented opener Venkatesh Iyer to provide them with strong starts. Venkatesh smashed 404 runs in 14 matches last year and can also chip in with wickets.
Shreyas Iyer (captain)
Shreyas Iyer will be returning as KKR skipper this season after missing out last year with an injury. He's made 2,776 runs in 101 IPL matches at an average of over 30.
Nitish Rana
Nitish Rana was one of the shining lights for KKR last year, scoring over 400 runs. The southpaw will play a pivotal role in the middle order and look to add to his 2,594 IPL runs so far.
Rinku Singh
The find of IPL 2023, Rinku Singh had a memorable campaign last year. The explosive batter will once again play a finishers role for KKR as he looks to accumulate more than the 474 runs he scored for the team in IPL 2023.
Andre Russell
Star all-rounder Andre Russell will be eager to make his mark for KKR in IPL 2024. He's scored more than 2,000 runs and has taken 96 wickets in IPL, making the explosive all-rounder's inclusion in the team a no-brainer.
Sunil Narine
As always, Sunil Narine was handy with the ball in IPL 2023 and will aim to deliver more with match-winning performances for KKR this season as he looks to add to his 163 wickets in the league.
Mitchell Starc
Mitchell Starc, who was bought for a whopping sum of INR 24.75 crore, will spearhead KKR's bowling unit. Starc has taken 34 scalps in the two IPL seasons he's played and will be the two-time champions' go-to bowler.
Varun Chakravarthy
Varun Chakravarthy returned with 20 wickets in 14 matches for KKR last year and will once again be a huge threat to opposition batters with his spin and guile.
Harshit Rana
Harshit Rana had a decent Ranji Trophy outing this year and could be a regular starter this season for KKR as he looks to build on his six scalps in the IPL so far.
Suyash Sharma
Suyash Sharma had a breakthrough season last year and will play a vital role in the spin department for KKR in IPL 2024. He took 10 scalps last year and will be gunning for more in the new campaign.
Impact Sub
Manish Pandey/Chetan Sakariya
SRH Predicted XI
Travis Head
Travis Head played a crucial part in Australia's ODI World Cup win in 2023. He is expected to deliver the goods for SRH in IPL 2024 as well and has scored 2,596 runs in 110 T20 games.
Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal had a decent First-Class season for Karnataka. The 33-year-old is a strong contender to be SRH's opener and has scored 2,597 runs in 123 IPL games.
Abhishek Sharma
Having impressed for Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024, Abhishek Sharma is a no-brainer pick in the SRH lineup and the explosive batter will hope to better his IPL 2022 campaign where he scored 426 runs - the most he's managed in a season.
Aiden Markram
The SA20 winning captain Aiden Markram will add both power and solidity to the SRH batting unit in IPL 2024. Yet to be at his best in the IPL, the upcoming season could be the year he comes good for SRH.
Rahul Tripathi
Rahul Tripathi had an underwhelming campaign last year but he will be gearing up for another solid season this time around. He's amassed 2,071 runs in 89 IPL matches.
Heinrich Klaasen (wicketkeeper)
Heinrich Klaasen has been in the form of his life of late and the hard-hitter will have a major role to play in SRH's middle order. He scored 448 runs in 12 IPL games last season and will be looking to better those numbers in the new season.
Washington Sundar
Washington Sundar missed a part of IPL 2023 due to an injury but his all-round abilities that make him capable of contributing with bat and ball makes him a player to watch out for this season.
Pat Cummins (captain)
Pat Cummins had a wonderful 2023 as Australia's World Cup-winning captain besides also retaining the Ashes. A born leader, Cummins, who can contribute runs and get wickets is expected to lead SRH to the playoffs, at the very least.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Indian veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been a driving force for SRH's pace attack all these years. He's taken 170 wickets in IPL so far and will have a big rile to play for SRH this year.
Mayank Markande
With a dearth of spin bowling options, leg-spinner Mayank Markande could prove effective for SRH this season. He had a good season last year with 12 scalps and will be hoping to further improve in IPL 2024.
T Natarajan
When fit and firing, T Natarajan can be unstoppable with the ball. He's managed 48 wickets in five IPL season and can be a threat to any batting lineup with his bowling variety.
Impact Sub
Nitish Kumar Reddy/Shahbaz Ahmed