IPL 2025: KKR, SRH look to get their act together

With two defeats each in their last three respective matches, both Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) would want to get their campaigns back in shape with a win when the last edition's finalists meet in their next round-robin match of this Indian Premier League (IPL) season on Thursday. KKR are currently last on the points table while SRH are No. 8, with both the teams having just one win in three matches.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!As the two teams get ready to enter the Eden Gardens on Thursday, they will be a touch nervous and desperate for a win to regain momentum. The Eden Gardens' pitch has become a subject of intense examination following KKR's seven-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.The home team's bowling attack faced severe pressure as Phil Salt and Virat Kohli dominated with an impressive partnership of 95 runs off just 51 balls while chasing a target of 175.Despite his recent success in the Champions Trophy last month, Chakravarthy found it challenging to contain runs on the batting-friendly surface against RCB, conceding 10.75 runs per over.The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) faces expectations to prepare a pitch favouring KKR's spin-oriented bowling lineup, which includes Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Moeen Ali.Reports, however, indicate that the Eden Gardens' pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee had turned down KKR's request for a turning wicket in their first match. Chakravarthy conceded 45 runs in that contest. Although Mukherjee stood firm on his decision, CAB president Snehasish Ganguly has been thoroughly examining the surface with the curator, suggesting potential alterations for KKR's forthcoming home fixtures.Meanwhile, the make-up of KKR's team is also facing scrutiny after their two defeats. It is worth noting that the four players who were let go by KKR prior to the mega auction have shown remarkable form in the initial 10 days of the season -- former skipper Shreyas Iyer (Punjab Kings), Nitish Rana (Rajasthan Royals), Phil Salt (RCB) and pace spearhead Mitchell Starc (Delhi Capitals).The absence of Starc has significantly weakened KKR's pace-bowling department, leaving their attack without an edge.To compound the frustration, Starc registered a match-winning 5 for 35 for Delhi against SRH in their last outing -- the Aussie's first T20 five-wicket haul and the best bowling figures of the season so far.Anrich Nortje continues to be unavailable for KKR due to his back problem, and their significant investment in retaining Venkatesh Iyer has not yielded results, with the player scoring merely nine runs across two matches, further compounding the team's difficulties.The retained players, including Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana and Ramandeep Singh, have been unable to showcase their usual form and effectiveness.On the other side, SRH's batting performance has seen a notable decline since their remarkable 286/6 in the opening match, failing to reach 200 runs in their subsequent two encounters.Their aggressive batting strategy has backfired, leading to batting collapses against Lucknow Super Giants (190/9) and Delhi Capitals (163 all out), causing them to suffer back-to-back losses.The formidable fast-bowling combination of captain Pat Cummins and Mohammed Shami could prove decisive at Eden Gardens, particularly for Shami, who represents Bengal in the domestic circuit and is well-versed with the local pitch conditions.