For the Sunrisers Hyderabad to win games in IPL 2015, they need David Warner and/or Shikhar Dhawan to fire at the top, plain and simple. If both of these players fail to shine with the bat, too much pressure is put on the rest of the don't-know-what-to-make-of-it batting order, and an invariable crumble follows, which in turn means an easy enough victory for the opponents.
Warner and Dhawan will look to sparkle with the bat when SRH host formidable KKR at a not-too-lucky-for-the-home-team ACA-VDCA Stadium in Vizag.
With just one win in four games, SRH cannot afford too many more poor outings like the ones against the Delhi Daredevils, Rajasthan Royals or the Chennai Super Kings. The Sunrisers Hyderabad actually did pretty well to take two of those games right to the end, but to be honest the result was never in doubt.
If they are to beat KKR, who are already looking like a shoo-in for the playoffs, they need to perform better with the bat, while also hoping their big bowlers – be that Dale Steyn/Trent Boult, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Praveen Kumar or Karn Sharma – pick up plenty of wickets, like they did against RCB.
"Any of the top order batsmen, whether it is David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan or KL Rahul, who get an opportunity, need to press on and get a fifty plus score," said SRH coach Tom Moody. "In the last game against Delhi Daredevils, that was probably the difference.
"One of our top four, who all got a chance, Ravi Bopara included, got a chance to get a fifty plus score. It is absolutely crucial to convert those starts."
Chasing will probably be the way to go for SRH against KKR, who seem to be near unbeatable when batting second. All three of the their wins so far in IPL 2015 have come while chasing, while the only match they lost this season was when they batted first.
Gautam Gambhir will frown at you and refuse to admit it, but there is little doubt that KKR are at their best when chasing, and the best chance to stop the Knight Riders in their tracks is to bowl first, try and restrict that seriously powerful batting lineup to a par or below-par score and hope Warner or Dhawan goes boundary-crazy.
"KKR are a very good side, there is no question about that," added Moody. "They have got a good all-round side that has had some recent success. It is going to be a tough challenge for us but we are looking forward to it. The mood in the camp is very good.
"We have got a good break since the last game which has given us a chance to have a complete day off but also have two good days of training."
Where to Watch Live
Get the Match Report, Score and Highlights HERE
The match between SRH and KKR is scheduled for a 4 pm IST (11.30 am BST, 6.30 am ET) start with live coverage in India on Sony Six and Sony Max. Catch the match action via live streaming online in India on Starsports.com and Hotstar.
Viewers in the US can catch the game live on ESPN, while the live stream option is on ESPN Cricket. Audience in Canada can do the same on Sportsnet or Watch Sportsnet. Viewers in the UK can flip that remote to Sky Sports to catch SRH vs KKR Live, while the match can also be live streamed on Sky Go and Watch Sky Sports.
Middle East and North Africa viewers can catch the IPL 2015 game live on OSN Sports or online on OSN Play. Audience across the world can also go to Cricketgateway.com to watch the match live.
