The Northern Knights were brought back down to earth by the Hobart Hurricanes on Tuesday, and the team from New Zealand, who have set the Champions League T20 2014 alight with some sparkling performances, will have a tall task of bouncing back from the heavy defeat when they take on the unbeaten Kings XI Punjab in Mohali.
In their own backyard, and indeed in most other places, the Kings XI Punjab are formidable, and then some. With their batting a thing of T20 beauty, the opposing team usually have one of two tasks – chase down a mammoth total, or post an equally big total and hope KXIP fall short.
The first two games showed just how strong Kings XI Punjab are in their batting, and that is despite being far from their best, and the Northern Knights will know they cannot afford another off day like the one three days ago in Raipur, when they crumbled to an 86-run defeat, after being bowled out for a mere 92 by the Hobart Hurricanes.
"We have a few things that we have addressed," said Northern Knights stalwart Scott Styris. "In T20, it's the nature of the game where you win some and you lose some. When you do lose, I think you should just park it and take on a fresh view and not lose sight. [However] you still take your lessons."
The Northern Knights suffered their first loss of the tournament on Tuesday, and now they face an added hurdle in the shape of the venue, with all of their previous matches coming in Raipur, where they enjoyed so much success in the CLT20 2014 qualifiers and the first match of the main draw, when they battered the Cape Cobras.
"We know that they are a good team but we don't fear them," Styris added on facing the Kings XI Punjab. "We respect them. They have got a lot of talent in that side. Most of the players from the Kings XI play for the country, so it does make a difference in terms of experience.
"But, we don't put them on a pedestal or anything. We do know that they are a good side but we do know that we too are a great side. On our day we can beat any side as we showed that against the Lahore Lions and Mumbai Indians."
For the Kings XI Punjab, it will be about doing the same things, even if they can improve a little bit on their batting, especially at the top of the order. Bowlers are always given a hard time in T20 cricket, and most of the time it does come down to which team bats best; and Kings XI certainly have plenty of weapons in that department.
"We have a lot of respect for the Northern Knights, they are a very strong side," said KXIP skipper George Bailey. "They have played some great cricket. I know it is going to be a really big challenge.
"I don't think we played our best cricket yet, particularly with the bat. We have bowled quite nicely in a couple of games but I think our batting still hasn't clicked. So there is lots to improve still."
Where to Watch Live
The CLT20 2014 Match 13 is scheduled for an 8 pm IST (3.30 pm BST, 10.30 am ET) start at the PCA Stadium, with live coverage in India on Star Sports 3 (Hindi), Star Sports 1 and Star Sports HD1. Viewers can also catch the match via free live streaming online on Starsports.com.
Europe and UK viewers can watch the match on Eurosport or via a live stream courtesy the channel's online Player. US viewers catch the action on ESPN or Watch ESPN, and the game can be live streamed by audience in Canada on Watch Sportsnet.
Middle East and North Africa viewers can watch the match on OSN or OSN Play, while South African and Sub Saharan Africa can do the same on SuperSport or their online option.
Rest of the world viewers can watch the match via free live streaming on StarSports.com.
