IPL 2016, KXIP vs RCB Match 39 Preview: Revamped Kings XI take on the Royal Challengers
The change of captaincy has finally brought a change of fortune for the Kings XI Punjab as they held their nerve to pull off an unlikely victory against the Delhi Daredevils in their previous match of VIVO IPL 2016. The Kings XI ended up winning the game by 9 runs against a strong Delhi line-up owing to some incredible death bowling by Marcus Stoinis followed by the two Sharmas, Mohit and Sandeep who continued their good work.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore are coming off a fantastic win as well against the Rising Pune Supergiants due to a special Kohli century. The Challengers might have 99 problems with their bowling but their batting has been the best. Chasing a target of 192 against the Supergiants, Rahul, Kohli, and Watson made sure they were always under control in chasing the massive total and got there with ease in the end. The Mohali stadium has big boundaries on both sides of the wicket and the batsmen won't find it easy to hit big sixes. That being said, the batsmen will have to be clever by taking the 1's and 2's by picking huge gaps between the fielders.
Match Date and Time: 9 May 2016, 2000 hrs IST
Match Venue: Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali.
Weather:
Temperature: Max 37°C, Min 29°C
Humidity: Max 33%
Wind: 6 km per hour
Pitch Report: Par-score 170. Batting should be comfortable on this pitch.
In-Depth Analysis:
Having included the charismatic batsman Hashim Amla in their team, the Kings XI will have to reshuffle their batting line-up to create space for Amla as an opener as he will be most effective at the number 1 position. The Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, who has been opening alongside Murali Vijay, has shown that he is perfectly capable of batting in the middle order.
Wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha scored a much needed fifty for his side in the previous match against the Daredevils and seems to have found his form with the bat. If Saha can perform with the same confidence as he did against the Daredevils, then the Punjab fans will be in for a treat. With Glenn Maxwell rearing to go for the Kings XI, they have suddenly found the spark which was missing in the first few matches of the tournament.
The bowling department has been the main strength for the Kings XI. Apart from moving the new ball around, Sandeep Sharma has also been brilliant bowling at the death overs, bowling yorkers at will. Mohit Sharma and Marcus Stoinis bowled cleverly against the Delhi batsmen and defended 44 runs in the final 4 overs. They will have to be at their best against the Royal Challengers.
Enough has been said about the powerful batting line-up of the Royal Challengers Bangalore with skipper Virat Kohli leading the way each time. The Challengers will believe that no target will be big enough for their batting unit to set or chase.
Even with the addition of Chris Jordan, the Bangalore bowling has been average at best. Shane Watson has been the best bowler for the Challengers by picking up 12 wickets to in 8 innings. The Challengers will be relying heavily on Watson to give them a good chance to win the game.
The Kings XI will be hoping to perform well in front of their home fans and capitalise on the slim chances they have to enter the playoffs.