Ahead of the two fixtures on Sunday, the qualifying table is starting to take on an ominous look for the sides in the bottom half, as a significant gap has started to open, between the fours sides occupying the qualifying positions and the rest of the sides in the tournament.
Both the Sunrisers and KKR are in the top four, with KKR currently leading the way on 14 points, and the Sunrisers in third spot with 11 points, both teams having played nine of their 14 qualifying fixtures. The side in fifth position, the Gujarat LIons are well back, with just six points from nine matches.
The Sunrisers have won five and lost three games to date, with one game abandoned as a no result. They have played four games in Hyderabad so far this season, and won them all. While on Friday, they tasted success on the road for the first time in the current campaign, when they defeated the Kings XI Punjab in Mohali by 26-runs, after amassing an imposing 207-3, with Dhawan, Warner and Williamson all posting half-centuries.
The Knight Riders have won seven of their nine matches, including a 17-run success against the Sunrisers back in match No.14 in Kolkata, when their spinners kept the Champions batting in check, after posting 172-6.
KKR’s most recent win, came when they chased down 161 against the Delhi Daredevils in Kolkata in just 16.2 overs, with Gambhir scoring 71 not out, which takes his overall total of runs in the tournament in 2017 to 376, the most of any player in the competition.