The 47th match of the Indian Premier League 2023 is being played between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday, May 4. Both clubs have 6 points each, and in a closely contested competition where up to four teams are tied at 10 points, a loss for any side could put an end to their chances of moving on to the playoffs.
Meanwhile, opted to bat first, KKR didn’t have a great start as they lost their destructive opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the 2nd over of the 1st innings. Gurbaz danced down the track before attempting to swing Marco Jansen to the on-side. However, the ball bounces off the surface and it hit Gurbaz high on the bat. The shot was skewed on impact and lobbed straight up. Harry Brook called for the catch, had plenty of time to get under, and easily held on.
We have had injuries in many games, but they're back now: Nitish Rana
Earlier, during the toss, KKR skipper Nitish Rana talked about the pitch after opting to bat first and said they hope to put up a big total. On the other hand, SRH skipper Aiden Markram stated that he would’ve also opted to bat first, however, he also said they will aim to play better cricket against KKR.
“We'll bat first. Looks like a good wicket, hopefully, we'll post a good score and then restrict them. We're not thinking too much ahead, just have to take game-by-game. We have had injuries in many games, but they're back now. We're playing an extra batter due to the impact rule, need to get those 10-15 extra runs.” Rana was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
“We would have batted first as well, we have tended to do well with a score on the board. We need to start playing good consistent cricket and tonight's an opportunity, looking forward to a positive outcome. Batting needs to improve, bowling has been outstanding, but we've underperformed with the bat.” Markram was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
Here's how fans reacted:
Charles incoming for next match
— Shiva ganesh reddy (@Shivaganeshred6) May 4, 2023
Reason pic.twitter.com/bDDSjr4aIV
— Radhika Chaudhary (@Radhika8057) May 4, 2023
Hakla srgay shivering 🤣
— vaibhav™ (@titan_boyies) May 4, 2023
Bc kismat hi kharab hain
— Manish Singh (@Manish6_singh) May 4, 2023
Team me rkha tha isko phli baar😥
The failure you know the reason you don't pic.twitter.com/J4THB5AyCw
— ro45_stan (@ro45___stan) May 4, 2023
Gurbaz 😹 pic.twitter.com/17dE6ec1kJ
— 🤞विशाल🤞 (@Visl___) May 4, 2023
— 18 (@SahisahilS) May 4, 2023
don’t care about afghani player
— Mohit (@Mohit_ttt) May 4, 2023