The stage is set for the high-voltage IPL 2024 Qualifier 1 between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) which will be played on May 21. However, KKR face a pre-match hurdle with English opener Phil Salt departing to join his national team for a four-match T20I series against Pakistan.
This comes as a big blow for KKR, considering Salt's successful opening partnership with Sunil Narine. But former Indian opener Virender Sehwag remains optimistic. He believes that despite Salt's absence, the KKR team boasts enough depth to overcome this challenge.
Sehwag wants other KKR players to deliver amidst Phil Salt absence
"It's not like one player's absence will drop the value of your team. It's just that the other player needs to perform well. What will actually matter is that one of your in-form players will be absent. How Phil Salt has performed, the runs he has scored, the strike rate he batted with, these will be missed by KKR," Sehwag told ESPNCricinfo.
"However, it can also happen that someone can step up and perform better than Salt in that match. All he has to do is play one match right? So I'd rather look at it positively. You have bought the rest of the players for this sort of moments, right? So that if one gets injured or leaves mid-way, another player can step up." Sehwag added.
A key player for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) this season, Phil Salt, will miss their crucial Qualifier 1 match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) due to national team commitments. Salt, who was brought in as a replacement for Jason Roy, has been a revelation in IPL 2024. He has been in top form, scoring a whopping 435 runs at an impressive average of 39.55 across 12 matches. His aggressive batting style was evident in his four half-centuries and a phenomenal strike rate of 182.01.
With Salt unavailable, KKR face a selection dilemma for the top order. Their most likely replacement seems to be Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz. However, Gurbaz hasn't played a single game this season. Last year, his performance was decent, scoring 227 runs in 11 matches with an average of 20.64. KKR has other options on the table. Wicketkeeper-batsman KS Bharat could be considered, or they could bolster their middle order with the explosive West Indian batter Sherfane Rutherford. An interesting choice could be promoting young talent Angrish Raghuvanshi to open alongside the experienced Sunil Narine. The Knight Riders' management has a crucial decision to make before their high-pressure playoff clash.
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