Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will clash against the invincible Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) on Thursday at the classic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. KXIP are playing excellent cricket these days and staying at the second spot of the latest IPL points table with two consecutive wins, while KKR stand at the fourth spot with one win and one loss in the IPL 10 league points table.
IPL 2017: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab – Preview #IPL
For KKR, its opening pair is important as both Gambhir and Lynn are in sublime form. But unfortunately Lynn will miss a few more IPL matches as he aggravated his old shoulder injury in a match against Mumbai Indians a few days back. At the same time, Umesh Yadav is expected to join KKR squad to boost its pace bowling. He will replace Ankit Rajpoot in tomorrow’s match.
Team news for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
KKR are very strong at home. Hence, Gambhir and company will do their best to win tomorrow’s match and give an opportunity to home crowds to fully relish the game. This match is going to be an exhilarating one as both KKR and KXIP are in explosive form, and both will try to earn the crucial two-points with a victory.
Some massive expectations will be there from Robin Uthappa to offer a good start to the team as he will come back to the opening slot along with Gautam Gambhir in place of Lynn. It will take a few more days’ time for Lynn to overcome the injury. Reportedly, star Bangladeshi all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan may replace him as an international player to play tomorrow’s match against KXIP.
KKR may also pick Nathan Coulter-Nile instead of Trent Boult ahead of tomorrow’s gigantic clash. The Kiwi left-arm-fast gave away too many runs in the last match so he might have to sit at the dug out tomorrow.
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Team news for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP)
Glenn Maxwell will be a vital cog in tomorrow’s match. His excellent captaincy in both the outings went out well and is expected to carry on the good work. He played a captain’s knock at both matches scoring unbeaten 44 and 43 runs in last two matches. Head coach Sehwag made a smart move by bringing in Ishant Sharma to KXIP squad. Death bowling is a big concern for Kings XI Punjab and Ishant’s experience and astute bowling in the last two overs of the innings will be crucial.
When it comes to KXIP batting, lots will depend upon how Vohra, Amla and Maxwell proceed in the initial first few overs. If they stick to the wicket for the first few overs, then it will become lots easier for a pinch hitter David Miller to capitalize on that. Bowling department will be spearheaded by Varun Aaron, Ishant Sharma, Mohit Sharma and T Natarajan – they are doing well with the ball.
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Playing XI (Both Teams)
Kings XI Punjab: Glenn Maxwell (Captain), Wriddhiman Saha (Wicket Keeper), David Miller, Manan Vohra, Axar Patel, Hashim Amla, Marcus Stoinis, Mohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Varun Aaron and T Natarajan.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir(Captain), Robin Uthappa(Wicket Keeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Chris Woakes, Umesh Yadav, Shakib Al Hasan, Kuldeep Yadav, Sunil Narine and Coulter Nile-Vile.
Head to Head: 19 IPL matches, KKR won 13 and KXIP won 6 Matches.
Prediction: Kings XI Punjab will win.
Venue: Eden Gardens. Match will telecast live on Set Max and Sony ESPN from 8PM onwards.
Tags: #IPL, Eden Gardens, Indian Premier League, IPL 10, IPL 2017, Kings XI Punjab, KKR, Kolkata Knight Riders, KXIP, VIVO IPL
