In their previous game, Kolkata Knight Riders had almost made a hash of a favourable situation against the Lucknow Super Giants, till Sunil Narine’s fantastic bowling bailed them out in the Super Over.

Since that game, the Knight Riders have had close to a week’s break to reflect on their performance and pinpoint the areas where they need to buck up. That introspection matters as their opponents in Hyderabad on Sunday — Sunrisers Hyderabad — will not let go of any of their unforced errors.

The rhythm the Sunrisers have gained with five wins in a row, they will simply cash in on the errors KKR commit. The Knights’ bowlers,
especially, will have to be careful on what has been a belter of a track at the Rajiv
Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

Abhishek Sharma’s current form aside, even his opening partner, Travis Head, has found the tempo which seemed to be missing in the early part of this IPL. So, the pressure will be high on quicks Vaibhav Arora and Kartik Tyagi, as the margin of error against the Abhishek-Head opening pair will be minimal.

The role of Narine and his spin colleague Varun Chakravarthy is very significant once again. More so, since it’s a 3.30pm start. The weather in Hyderabad on Sunday is expected to be quite humid with the temperature close to 40°C, which means there could be a little more help for the spinners from the surface.

Narine and Varun’s bowling have played a massive role in the two victories KKR have had so far this season — against Rajasthan Royals and the Super Giants. On Sunday too, regardless of whether they bat or bowl first, the spin duo will be their best bet against the Sunrisers openers as well as Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen, their other match-winners with the bat.

It won’t be a bad idea if the Knights bring at least one of their two game-changing spinners to bowl in the Powerplay.

Batting-wise, Rinku Singh’s current form certainly provides KKR with some relief. However, with the Sunrisers’ bowling bolstered by the return of their regular captain Pat Cummins, the ones slotted to bat ahead of Rinku need to come up with some sort of contribution. And that includes captain Ajinkya Rahane as well.

Pathirana puzzle for Knights

Since Matheesha Pathirana’s arrival post-recovery from injury, the Kolkata Knight Riders have played a couple of games. But the Sri Lankan pacer is yet to play for the three-time champions.

Will he be a part of the team, at least as an Impact Player, for Sunday’s game against Sunrisers Hyderabad?

Having won both of their last two matches, against Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants, there’s every possibility of the Knights opting for an unchanged XI.

If Pathirana is marked as an Impact Player, KKR will be able to slot only three overseas players in their XI.That will lead to a toss-up between keeper-batter Tim Seifert and Rovman Powell. A tricky situation.

The slots of all-rounder Cameron Green and Sunil Narine are more or less confirmed, unless either of them has a last-minute niggle.

“He (Pathirana) has been around the group for a little bit now. We’ll look at the conditions and make a decision on the side that we think is best for tomorrow (Sunday)’s game. What also matters is the balance and make-upof our overseas lot,” KKR bowling coach Tim Southee said on Saturday.