Hyderabad take on two-time champions Kolkata in the third match of the Indian T20 League 2021 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, April 11.
Hyderabad have been one of the most consistent sides in the high-profile league over the last few years. They have won the title in 2016 by defeating Virat Kohli’s Bangalore in the final and qualified for the playoffs in every season since then.
In the last edition of the Indian T20 League held in UAE, Hyderabad were knocked out in the second qualifier.
Ahead of the new Indian T20 League season, Hyderabad received a massive boost as their star pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has returned fully fit after missing a part of last year's tournament due to an injury.
Led by David Warner, Hyderabad have a power-packed batting line-up in the league. Along with Warner, they have Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey and Jason Roy. The team management also added experienced Kedar Jadhav in the mini-auction to address their middle-order concerns.
The franchise has an equally impressive bowling line-up including Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, T Natarajan, Jason Holder and Sandeep Sharma.
On the other hand, two-time champions Kolkata missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year in 2020 owing to their inferior net run rate.
Kolkata have been heavily dependent on their talisman Andre Russell to win them matches in the league for the last few years. However, this year, the franchise has strengthened their middle order by bringing in Bangladeshi all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan. They also roped in Karun Nair in the Indian T20 League 2021 auction.
Kolkata have a strong bowling line-up, especially the spin bowling attack. They have added Harbhajan Singh to Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav and Shakib. Meanwhile, Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins is expected to lead the pace attack.
In the Hyderabad vs Kolkata head-to-head record, the stats favour Kolkata, who have won 12 of the 19 matches played between these two teams.
Where to watch Hyderabad vs Kolkata live in India?
The Hyderabad vs Kolkata Indian T20 League match will be telecast live at 7:30 PM IST on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Hindi HD, Star Sports Select 1 and Star Sports Select 1 HD TV channels in India, on Sunday, April 11.
Live streaming of Hyderabad vs Kolkata will be available on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website.
SportsAdda will bring you Hyderabad vs Kolkata live scores from the Indian T20 League.
Featured photo: IPL/BCCI
