SRH aims to maintain winning momentum against KKR

Both teams have eight points though SRH has played one match less. The host snapped its three-match losing streak with a win over table leader CSK and KKR now needs to do the same having lost its last four games.

The race to play-offs is heating up and both sides know the value of a win on Sunday. A rampaging Russell and Nitish Rana almost pulled off a miraculous win on Friday night after the KKR top-order left it with too much to do in the death overs. Russell even questioned the team’s decision to send him lower down the order when the likes of Robin Uthappa struggled.

There is little doubt that the KKR think tank will be working overtime to get back to winnings ways.

The host too has concerns of its own, mainly its over-reliance on openers David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, who will be leaving at the end of the week to join England’s World Cup.

When the opening duo has fired, SRH has done well but on other occasions the middle-order has let it down.

However, Bairstow defended his team’s middle-order batsmen.

“We have got some fantastic players in our middle-order and David and I have done a fairly good job at the top. There are players who are in the World Cup team. There is a reason why they have done so well in the last couple of years,” said Bairstow.

Asked on how they plan to tackle the Russell threat, he added: “We could bowl someone like Rashid (Khan) or Sandeep (Sharma), who executes slower balls so well. Russell is playing well, no doubt but at the same time he is still human, he can still get out.”