IPL 2019, Match 6, Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab: Why KXIP will win the match
Kolkata Knight Riders will play host to match 6 of IPL 2019 and will be up against Kings XI Punjab who are fresh off a pretty controversial win against Rajasthan Royals. Both the teams have hit the ground running and are in good form ahead of this fixture.
The pitch is expected to be a batsman-friendly pitch but will assist the seamers and the wrist spinners. KKR's home crowd will certainly turn up in numbers, especially after the thrilling win the last match and it won't be easy for Punjab.
Punjab's batting looked well-set and they looked in complete control of the opposition bowlers. Their bowling was average and Ashwin and Mujeeb were the only bowlers who escaped from Jos Buttler's onslaught.
Both the teams are equally capable of winning this match but let's take a look at why KXIP has better chances of winning.
Better fast bowlers
The Kings XI Punjab have an exciting pace bowling roster and though Sam Curran went for a lot of runs, he did manage to pick up a couple of crucial wickets.
Ankit Rajpoot bowled with good pace and hit the right lengths while Shami exhibited his quality last game.
With Andrew Tye available and on the fringes, this Punjab pace bowling lineup seems to be much better than KKR's and this may be their biggest advantage ahead of the match.
Better opening partnership
Punjab's greatest strength will be their opening partnership and especially Chris Gayle can't be ignored this season. If he gets going, he has all the chances of going berserk in the Eden Gardens and he has the ability to take the game away from the opposition within the span of few balls. KL Rahul was brilliant against all top teams last season and has a good record against the KKR spinners.
Also, none of the KKR seamers really swing the ball and this will allow him to settle down before launching himself at the opposition.
The same however can't be said about KKR as they don't have a permanent opening combo even though Nitish Rana excelled as an opener along with Chris Lynn.
Punjab seem to have the edge over KKR in terms of form, squad depth, as well as their pace bowling and hence, have a better chance of winning the match.
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