IPL 2018 Qualifier 2, KKR vs SRH: Kolkata eye home benefit in today's match

In today's match to decide who takes on CSK in IPL 2018 final on May 27, KKR will have momentum on their side. They have won 4 matches in a row, while SRH have lost as many. Catch live match updates

IPL 2018 News: In Qualifier 2 of Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL 2018) Kane Williamson-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will take on Dinesh Karthik's Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday. A two-time champion, KKR will be aiming to exploit SRH's recent run of poor form when the two teams square off in what promises to be a high-octane IPL Qualifier 2 match. KKR stormed into the IPL Qualifier 2 by defeating Rajasthan Royals by 25 runs at the same venue, while Sunrisers Hyderabad lost to Chennai Super Kings by 2 wickets in a nail-biting encounter in Mumbai in Qualifier 1. SRH got the benefit of being one of the top two teams in Vivo IPL points table and received a second shot at qualifying for the final tie, while Rajasthan, which entered the playoffs ranked fourth were knocked out.

KKR have ticked all the right boxes in their or past few IPL 2018 matches, with four wins on trot. Table-toppers Sunrisers, on the other hand, have slipped after finishing on top of the league table; they now have 4 consecutive lost matches behind them.

Call it complacency or the lacks of performance from their middle order, SRH have lost four straight games, something that will be a cause for concern to Kane Williamson's team. Arguably the best bowling side of IPL 2018, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddharth Kaul and Sandeep Sharma delivering consistently along with the immensely talented Rashid Khan, Sunrisers will like to extract whatever juice is available from the Eden Gardens track.

The momentum is strongly in favour of Dinesh Karthik’s Kolkata Knight Riders, which will also heavily bank on their home advantage. So, it will need a special effort from the Kane Williamson-led side to stop the resurgent KKR and return to winning ways. If they do, they will meet Chennai Super Kings in the final match, to be played on Sunday (May 27) and have a fair chance of avenging their losses in the past three IPL 2018 games played against the M S Dhoni-led side.

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