KKR seek spin revival against SRH in crucial home phase

Kolkata Knight Riders will be desperate for their spinners to rediscover the bite against Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL match involving two batting-heavy sides on Thursday.

This fixture also marks the start of a crucial home stretch for the three-time champions, who will play three matches in seven days and another on April 19 before the Kolkata leg pauses for nearly a month due to the upcoming assembly polls.

With four away games to follow and their next home fixture scheduled only on May 16, KKR know it is imperative to build momentum in this phase.

Historically, Eden Gardens has been a stronghold of KKR, winning 54 out of 95 matches since 2008.

However, KKR’s start has already hit a few early bumps as expectedly with their thin bowling resources. They seemed to have assembled a well-rounded pace attack but injuries and availability issues had blunted their firepower.

Harshit Rana and Akash Deep are ruled out, Matheesha Pathirana is yet to get an NOC from Sri Lanka Cricket, and Cameron Green — their `25.20 crore overseas acquisition — is currently available only as a batter.