Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders are all set to go against each other at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, April 11. Both the teams will look forward to add two winning points against their name on the league table as they play their first match this season.

Here are five things to watch out for in SRH vs KKR game on Sunday:

– Kedar Jadhav could be the X factor this season for the SRH team, the team has played really well in the past and in need to strengthen their middle-order batting line-up, they can look up to the former CSK batsman Jadhav. Last season, the player drew criticism as his strike rate was as low as less than a-run-a-ball. This season can see Jadhav in his fierce form as it will be the time for him to make or break in his cricketing career. 

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– Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh all-rounder has time and again proved his mettle to the cricketing world. The player’s left-arm spin and attacking style with the bat makes him a frontrunner in the Knight Riders. Although he missed IPL 2020, KKR bought him back in this year’s IPL auction and it will be great chance for the all-rounder to show his magic in the match against SRH.

– Shubman Gill scored 440 runs with three fifties and best score of 70 not out in the last IPL. His good form in the Gabba Test against Australia is also a good news for the Knight Riders. In the Test series, he scored over 250 runs with an average of more than 50 and emerged as a match winner for the Indian team, the team will cling onto him for his continued form and powerful shots. 

– England skipper Eoin Morgan was trusted with the captaincy midway last season in the UAE after continued losses in the IPL games, though the team ended up getting same points as RCB and SRH, it failed to qualify for playoffs due to poor net run-rate. This season will be interesting to watch as Morgan will lead KKR from the start and the team will do its best to qualify for playoffs and could win the IPL trophy under the World-cup winning captain. 

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– Andre Russell had a poor season last time as he just scored 117 runs in 10 matches and got six wickets for the team. Looking at his recent net videos, he seems to be in the right form but he has to pass a big test facing bowler Rashid Khan. The bowler picked 20 wickets for SRH last season and had the best economy rate amongst all bowlers. Chennai being the venue, this contest will be crucial in the Sunday match.