The Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) will play against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the first time in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2013. The match will be played at Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali on Tuesday.
Previous Meetings:
KXIP and KKR have met nine times in the past, and the latter have 5-4 win-lost record against the former. In the last two matches played, they won their respective away games.
Overview:
IPL 2013 has been a roller coaster ride for the KXIP. They won the opening game against the Pune Warriors India but were defeated in the next two matches. Currently placed at the bottom half of the table, they will be keen to win the upcoming matches in order to stay in the competition.
On the other hand, KKR have four points on the table after winning two matches and losing two. They will be high on confidence after beating the Sunrisers Hyderabad by 48 runs in the previous game. They must be happy that the top order put up a huge total after losing two consecutive matches.
Team News:
Kings XI Punjab: It's time skipper Adam Gilchrist give a good start to the team, as it will help other batsmen like Mandeep Singh, Manan Vohra, and Gurkeerat Singh to play their shot confidently. At present, David Hussey is the only player who is in form.
In bowling department, KXIP have Praveen Kumar, Azhar Mahmood, Piyush Chawla, Parvinder Awana and Ryan Harris. They have managed to restrict the total of their opponents in the matches played so far.
Kolkata Knight Riders: They lost two consecutive matches after winning the opening game of the tournament but put up a good show in the last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The top order - Manvinder Bisla, Gautam Gambhir, Jacques Kallis, Eoin Morgan - contributed well and scored 180 runs, their highest in IPL sixth edition. It will boost their confidence.
In the bowling department, Sunil Narine's performance has been impressive so far. Brett Lee, Rajat Bhatia and Lakshmipathy Balaji have also performed well in the previous matches. Jacques Kallis, who didn't take any wicket in the first three matches, took three against the SRH, which is good news for the team.
Prediction:
KXIP have home ground advantage but KKR, being a more balanced side, should win on Tuesday.
SQUADS:
Kings XI Punjab: Adam Gilchrist (C), Azhar Mahmood, Bhargav Bhatt, Bipul Sharma, David Hussey, David Miller, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Gurkeerat Mann Singh, Harmeet Singh Bansal, Luke Pomersbach, Manan Vohra, Mandeep Singh, Manpreet Gony, Nitin Saini, Parvinder Awana, Paul Valthaty, Piyush Chawla, Praveen Kumar, Rajagopal Sathish, Ryan Harris, Sandeep Sharma, Shaun Marsh, Siddharth Chitnis, Sunny Singh
Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (c), Brendon McCullum, Brett Lee, Debabrata Das, Eoin Morgan, Iqbal Abdulla, Jacques Kallis, James Pattinson, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Manoj Tiwary, Manvinder Bisla, Shami Ahmed, Pradeep Sangwan, Rajat Bhatia, Ryan McLaren, Ryan ten Doeschate, Sachithra Senanayake, Sarabjit Ladda, Shakib Al Hassan, Sunil Narine, Yusuf Pathan
Where to Watch Live
The match will begin at 4:00 pm IST and will be telecast live on Sony Set Max channel.
