Delhi Capitals defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 44 runs on Sunday. KKR had been riding on individual performances so far and hence, it was a wake-up call for them. The management might therefore make a few changes for their next game. They will next face the Sunrisers Hyderabad on 15th April at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. In this article, we take a look at two changes Kolkata Knight Riders might make for their next game against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
1) Sheldon Jackson for Ajinkya Rahane
Sheldon Jackson for Ajinkya Rahane is one of the changes Kolkata Knight Riders might make for their next game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. In five games so far, Rahane has scored 80 runs at an average of 16 and a poor strike rate of 100. For a player of his experience, the returns so far have been disappointing. He has also been poor with his intent and hence, KKR might replace him for the next match.
On the other hand, KKR has Sheldon Jackson, who made 271 runs in 6 games at the 2022 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Based on the current form, Sheldon looks the perfect fit to replace Rahane at the top of the order. With his arrival, KKR can also relieve Sam Billings of his duties behind the stumps. If not Sheldon, KKR also has other options such as Rinku Singh and Baba Indrajith.
2) Shivam Mavi for Rasikh Salam
Rasikh Salam has actually been pretty decent with the ball so far. However, he has not looked threatening to KKR’s liking. If the team is looking to go with a settled XI from now on, they could think about handing another chance to Shivam Mavi, who was one of their big-money signings at IPL 2022 Mega-Auctions.
Yes, Mavi has been average so far, but having procured him at a high price, KKR could give him a few more games. As seen before, Mavi can make the ball talk at the start of an innings. Umesh Yadav is already doing it for KKR but if the youngster can also find form, it will be a terrific new-ball attack for the team. The franchise can then focus on using Pat Cummins in the middle-overs and at the death. Hence, they could make this change for the next game.
