Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 25th Match - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Finch and Venkatesh Iyer out to open, Bhuvneshwar will bowl the first over and we are all set ...

TOSS - SRH opt to bowl;KKR make three changes; Finch and Aman Khan included

SRH - Abhishek Sharma, Kane Williamson(c), Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran(w), Aiden Markram, Shashank Singh, Jagadeesha Suchith, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen, Umran Malik, T Natarajan

KKR - Aaron Finch, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer(c), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sheldon Jackson(w), Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Aman Hakim Khan, Varun Chakaravarthy

ICYMI - DC physiotherapist Patrick Farhart has tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, Rasikh Salam has been ruled out of IPL 2022 because of a lower back injury. Harshit Rana will replace him in the KKR squad. Deepak Chahar too won't feature for CSK in IPL 2022.

Should KKR continue to stick with Rahane?

Hello and welcome to the live blog of the IPL 2022 clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders. Before we get cracking, here's the preview of the content from Narbavi -

Not many teams in the IPL go into a game with just a lone specialist spinner in their XI. Sunrisers Hyderabad bucked that trend this season by picking only Washington Sundar alongside four pacers. Washington also offers them the much-needed balance at number 7 and that is precisely why he is a very vital member in that side. How SRH cope with his absence might have a significant say in their campaign even though he is not expected to be sidelined for a prolonged period. Had SRH missed a frontline seamer to injury, they would have been better equipped to handle that scenario considering the backups they have at their disposal but in the spin department, the cupboard is indeed barren.

Shreyas Gopal and Jagadeesha Suchith appear to be the alternatives at this moment but are they good enough to bat at 7? Can they recreate the same impact Washington has made with the ball? How about Abdul Samad? SRH do have an option to recall the exciting youngster and it remains to be seen if they can have him and Aiden Markram split up the fifth bowler's duties. The timing of Washington's injury is the key for SRH as they finally appeared to be picking up pace after losing their first two games. They clicked as a unit in the next two to register wins and there is now a real danger of that momentum coming to a screeching halt.

The time is also ripe for Kolkata Knight Riders to get things back in order after losing their last game. Despite winning three out of their first four matches, KKR were completely outplayed by Delhi Capitals in their last game and their bowling will certainly be a concern. Pat Cummins is leaking runs non-stop despite impressing with the bat the other day and Varun Chakravarthy hasn't been as effective as he was earlier. The bowling relies a lot on veterans Umesh Yadav and Sunil Narine but they do need support. In the batting department, Nitish Rana and Ajinkya Rahane haven't been firing and the latter might face the axe. But with their opponent's spin department significantly weakened, this is indeed an opportunity for KKR's batters to get back into the groove.