Kings XI Punjab have played some decent cricket after Murali Vijay took over the captaincy midway through IPL 2016: They have won three of their last five games. The Kings XI will be keen to play some quality cricket against one of the dangerous teams of IPL 2016, Sunrisers Hyderabad, at PCA Stadium in Mohali on Friday.
SRH will also have a similar objective of winning the game, and sealing an IPL 2016 playoffs spot, which makes matters interesting. Kings XI Punjab came up with an all-round display against Delhi Daredevils. Another similar performance from Kings XI Punjab can help them win their fifth match of the season.
KXIP have some quality batsmen like David Miller and Glenn Maxwell, but they have failed to perform, leaving the team at the bottom half of the table. Their chances of qualifying are quite bleak even if they win their last three matches, as other games results have to go their way. However, they will want to finish the rest of the matches with wins, for which their batsmen and bowlers need to come to the party.
Talking about captaincy, Saha feels the team combination has been good under Vijay.
"Actually, there is not much difference between Vijay and Miller. It (team's success) depends on the team combination. Previously, it wasn't working well. Since Vijay has taken over, the combination has been spot on. The batting order has been shuffled a lot. He has been giving confidence to the team. Of course, Miller was also doing that. We will see how it goes in the remaining games," DNA quoted Saha as saying.
On the other hand, SRH have been a quality side in the competition, performing in all departments of the game. Hence, they lie on top of the table at present, but they are not going to take KXIP lightly.
"We know they (Kings XI Punjab) are a dangerous side, they have got some match winners in their side. They haven't had the consistency that they would have liked to this point. We need to bring our A-game tomorrow [Sunday]. Because if we drop our guard in any department, bat, ball or in the field, we know they are a side that can hit hard," Press Trust of India quoted SRH coach Tom Moody as saying.
David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan have performed with the bat, and have helped SRH win a number of matches, and their bowlers have also shone brightly in IPL 2016. With such all-round cricket, they are one of the most feared teams in the competition.
What has made SRH a formidable side, also, is the presence of Indian players in the squad, like Ashish Nehra, Yuvraj Singh and Naman Ojha, who know the conditions well, and their experience has come handy.
SRH can clinch the spot on Sunday, and allow some rest to some of their stars ahead of the playoffs.
Where to watch live
KXIP vs SRH IPL 2016 match IPL 2016 match – is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. IST (11:30 a.m. BST, 6:30 a.m. ET). Live TV coverage of the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) IPL 2016 match will be on Sony Max, Sony Six/HD, Sony ESPN/HD. Online options are available onHotstar and Starsports.com.
Sky Sports 2 will broadcast the Kings XI Punjab vs Sunrisers Hyderabad live in the UK and Ireland, with the live stream options on Watch Sky Sports and Sky Go.
Viewers in the US can watch KXIP vs SRH IPL 2016 match onESPN, while the game can also be live streamed on Watch ESPN.Sportsnet and viewers in Canada can watch the Kings XI Punjab vs Sunrisers Hyderabad IPL 2016 match on Watch Sportsnet.
OSN Sports Cricket will show KXIP vs SRH IPL 2016 match in the Middle East and North Africa, while all the action can also be watched via live streaming online on OSN Cricket Play.
Supersport and Supersport Live Video will broadcast Kings XI Punjab vs Sunrisers Hyderabad IPL 2016 match in South Africa.
Viewers from across the world, around 133 countries, can watch the IPL 2016 match live online on Cricketgateway.
