IPL 2025 has been no different from its predecessors, as one of the defining traits of IPL is its unpredictability. Such expectations were of teams keeping a core group of players on the side and continuing to dominate, but the reality has been altogether different. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who will lock horns in a repeat of last year’s final, are in an unexpected position as they hold the bottom spot on the points table.
KKR, though are defending champions and have won only one game in three games, which means this clash at Eden Gardens is crucial for the team. This was their most recent outing, where batting collapsed, and the Mumbai Indians (MI) side came crashing through to a winning total of 116. It was a collective batting failure, feels like new captain Ajinkya Rahane, as the series title defence starts badly. KKR have lost heavily to MI and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and have a net run rate of -1.428. Defeat here would allow this team to spend a season trying to catch up.
SRH, too, are in the same boat, losing away to Delhi Capitals (DC) in an embarrassing manner as they chased down their total within 16 overs in Vizag. Young Aniket Verma has been the lone bright spark among the batting unit’s failure to fire consistently. Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head have shown glimpses of brilliance, but they are not at their best. Unfortunately, Heinrich Klaasen has not really made an impact yet, and the team have not bowled well in key moments.
Still early in the season, both teams know that their struggles will be forgotten. This provides an opportunity for both sides to gain some form, and the Eden Gardens pitch is likely to be a fair contest between bat and ball.
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