When Kings XI Punjab come face-to-face against Sunrisers Hyderabad at IS Bindra Stadium on Friday, the home team will have revenge on their minds. KXIP lost their last match against SRH in IPL 2017. Glenn Maxwell and co. will have to fire away in all departments of the game to win their second straight game.
This clash seems to be interesting for many reasons, foremost of which is the presence of quality players in both teams. Kings XI Punjab have a brilliant batting line-up, with Hashim Amla, Glenn Maxwell and Shaun Marsh. SRH, on the other hand, are strong on the bowling front. The visitors have Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in their ranks, and that makes this contest between the bat and ball all the more interesting.
Amla has been in wonderful form this season. He has scored 299 runs, and the South African player's performance at the top will play an important role for Kings XI Punjab. With the likes of Maxwell coming down the order, if Amla fires and provides a base for the rest of the batsmen, KXIP will be in a strong position.
But they cannot depend on their batting unit alone. Sandeep Sharma has to lead the team from the front in the bowling department while Axar Patel has to use his slow-left arm wisely against SRH.
If we look at the SRH bowling line-up, they have all their bases covered. They have swing bowlers in Bhuvneshwar and Ashish Nehra, and Rashid, with his leggie. has been tremendous in IPL 2017. Even coach Tom Moody was in awe of the Afghanistan bowler.
"Rashid has been a revelation in the tournament. He has done well and would continue to do. Rashid will be a major threat to the opposition in the remaining matches. He is has been a terrific find for us this season. It is so good to see such a young spinner making an impact and it is also wonderful for Afghanistan cricket," Hindustan Times quoted Moody as saying.
However, their batting is quite dependent on Warner, who has been brilliant with the willow. He has scored 282 runs in the competition so far.
Warner has worked well in most matches, and Kane Williamson and Moises Henriques have been decent too, but the Indian contingent, including Deepak Hooda, needs to score runs. With Yuvraj Singh still not 100 percent fit due to flu, there is some pressure on the three foreigners to do the bulk of scoring.
The match in Mohali could be a close encounter, and the team that is consistent for 40 overs will have a greater chance of winning the match on Friday.
Where to watch
The IPL match between Kings XI Punjab vs Sunrisers Hyderabad scheduled for 8:00 pm IST, 3:30pm BST and 10:30am ET start.
TV and Live streaming information
India: TV: Sony Max, Sony Six, Sony Six HD, Sony Max, Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD. Live Streaming: Hotstar.
USA: TV: Willow TV. Live Streaming: Willow TV Online.
UK: TV: Sky Sports 3HD. Live Streaming: Sky Sports Go.
Middle East: TV: OSN Sports Cricket HD. Live Streaming: OSN Play.
South Africa: TV: SuperSport Two. Live Streaming: SuperSport Live Video.
International: Live Streaming: Cricketgateway.
