The finalists from the previous season, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad, will face off on Thursday night at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Last season, KKR triumphed over Pat Cummins and his team during the playoffs and the final. However, this season has seen significant changes for the defending champions, who are without their 2024 captain Shreyas Iyer and mentor Gautam Gambhir. Their start to the season has been inconsistent, with two losses in three matches, raising concerns about their title defense. The batting lineup has struggled, particularly the renowned middle-order players Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, and Venkatesh Iyer, who are currently out of form. Although Quinton de Kock delivered a match-winning performance against Rajasthan Royals, he has not been consistent, a trend mirrored by captain Ajinkya Rahane. Young talent Angkrish Raghuvanshi has shown potential, but the seasoned players must elevate their performance to revive their campaign.

In terms of bowling, Australian pacer Spencer Johnson, who was brought in to replace Mitchell Starc, has not made a significant impact, and Anrich Nortje is currently unavailable due to a back injury.

On the other hand, SRH began their season with a bang, scoring 286 runs against Rajasthan Royals. However, their batting lineup has faltered in the subsequent two matches, leading to consecutive losses.

Their aggressive batting strategy has resulted in collapses against Lucknow Super Giants (190/9) and Delhi Capitals (163 all out), contributing to their recent defeats. Nevertheless, captain Pat Cummins has emphasized in team meetings that they will maintain their current approach.

The fast-bowling unit has also not met expectations, with players like Mohammed Shami, Pat Cummins, and Harshal Patel failing to perform at their best thus far.

Check Probable XIs of KKR and SRH

KKR Playing XI and Impact Player: The team comprises Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Vaibhav Arora.

SRH Playing XI and Impact Player: The team comprises Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (wicketkeeper), Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins (captain), Zeeshan Ansari, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami, and Adam Zampa.

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