For KKR, the biggest cause of concern will be the availability of big-hitter Andre Russell, who hurt his knee when he dived into the advertisement boards after missing a catch on Saturday.
Images from Friday's IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore, in Kolkata.
KKR are gradually emerging as a strong contender for a third IPL title
In the absence of national regulars, the focus will shift on the likes of Rinku, who was surprisingly not picked for the first round despite having an impressive first-class record.
With nine defeats from 11 matches, the Sunrisers are languishing at the bottom, while KKR, in fourth place with 10 points from 12 matches, still have hopes of qualifying for the knock-out stage.
On Thursday, he had enviable figures of 4 for 14 in his 3 overs against KKR, his former IPL franchise, which didn't give him a single game last season.
Yashasvi Jaiswal is a stickler for processes and there are a few basic rules that he follows while preparing for big matches.
The RCB spinners choked KKR for runs; and in the batsmen's bid to make up the run-rate KKR lost wickets regularly.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for Friday's third ODI against Sri Lanka?
Umesh, who was part of KKR's IPL winning team in 2014, didn't get a single game for Delhi Capitals last year, while featuring in just two games in IPL 2020.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player of IPL 2023.
LSG do not have to fret so much about the mathematical scenarios as a win would be enough for them to seal their back-to-back playoff berth.
A summary of the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches played on Saturday.
Shami was the standout bowler for the Kings XI Punjab, picking three wickets.
Captain Virat Kohli is unlikely to feature in the tournament because of his India commitments.
Kolkata Knight Riders delivered a professional performance to beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in Jaipur on Wednesday, putting their Indian Premier League campaign back on track with back to back victories.
Rishabh Pant released by DC, Heinrich Klaasen pips Virat Kohli in retention price
Rajneesh Gupta previews Game 38 in IPL 12: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2023 after the league stage.
The never-ending speculation surrounding Mahendra Singh Dhoni's retirement, Virat Kohli's 16-year-itch, the second chance that life has offered Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma's bleeding heart will make for intriguing sub-plots in the annual carnival called the Indian Premier League starting on Friday.
It was a day dominated by record-breaking performances from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Yuzvendra Chahal as Rajasthan Royals pummelled Kolkata Knight Riders into submission.
The Group B match between Delhi and Punjab, beginning in New Delhi on Wednesday, will see Yuvraj Singh playing his first match of the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy.
The BCCI, on Monday, declared pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar fit and said he will be a part of India 'A' squad in the ongoing Quadrangular series.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2023 after Game 61.
RCB to ring in changes against KKR in search of first win
A livid Kolkata Knight Riders coach Brendon McCullum came down heavily on his team's top-order batsmen for not showing enough intent and aggression in the ongoing IPL after demanding 'loyalty' from him during team selection.
KKR did not win the mini-battles in the game and 172 eventually proved too little.
It will be a test of Virat Kohli's tactical acumen against the ice-cool demeanour of Eoin Morgan when perennial underachievers Royal Challengers Bangalore clash with former champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Eliminator in Sharjah on Monday.
A 'relaxed' approach turned things around for Suryakumar Yadav who came good on Sunday with a classy 43 after aggregating just 16 runs in three previous IPL matches.
Pat Cummins's gutsy half-century and Captain Eoin Morgan's cautious 39 runs helped Kolkata Knight Riders post 148 after an awful start.
Kolkata Knight Riders, who have lost their last four games, need to get back to winning ways and keep their hopes alive of making it to the play-offs.
Had Andre Russell's dismissal not been overturned, the outcome could have been different for Kings XI.
Andre Russell played a whirlwind unbeaten knock of 49-runs to script his side's dramatic win after Nitish Rana scored 68 at top of the batting order.
Images from Friday's IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, in Abu Dhabi.
Table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders and a transformed Kings XI Punjab cross swords in an Indian Premier League contest in which big-hitting Jamaicans Andre Russell and Chris Gayle will be up against each other in Kolkata on Saturday.
In the event of Narine missing out again, Mumbai will fancy their chances even more at the Sheikh Zayed stadium, where skipper Rohit Sharma has scored both his half-centuries this season.
Axar is the second player after Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Nitish Rana to test positive for the virus.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2023 after Game 42.
A formidable Karnataka continued their winning streak in the Super League stages of the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy after they trounced Delhi by 8 wickets in Group B match, in Indore, on Sunday.
'There will be a lot of spice to the contest -- there is a reason India is the only team other than England against whom Australia is keen to play a five Test series.' 'I'll watch, as I suspect most fans will -- but this one time, I'll watch with considerable trepidation and, from a fan's point of view, with the hope that the team finds its feet and that right quick,' notes the distinguished cricket commentator Prem Panicker.
