Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad brace for battle at the Eden Gardens after defeats in their IPL-19 openers last weekend. Both posted 200-plus totals, only to find them inadequate, Royal Challengers Bengaluru blasting their way past SRH’s 201 in Bengaluru, while Mumbai Indians overwhelmed 221 at Wankhede vs KKR.

While conditions at both venues were grossly ‘batting friendly’, there was no missing the fact that the bowling units of both SRH and KKR lost the plot. Under pressure, the bowling lost shape and shoddy fielding made things worse. SRH had to recover after their top-order misfired, while the Knights squandered momentum after openers Ajinkya Rahane and Finn Allen had provided a rollicking start.