IPL 6: Match 51 - KXIP vs RCB - Kings XI Punjab Preview
We are slowly moving into the business end of the Indian Premier League and all the teams are expected to push hard from here onwards to make it to the play-off stages. One of the teams which definitely needs to kick-on is Kings XI Punjab, who will be hosting the rampant RCB at PCA Stadium, Mohali today evening. It’s a critical encounter, especially considering the scenario that a win for RCB today will almost seal their semifinal berth and if Punjab goes down today as well, it will be a virtual end to their hopes of reaching the play-offs. RCB are currently sitting pretty, taking the 2nd spot on the points table. On the other hand, KXIP are languishing in sixth spot with just four wins so far.
Although Punjab will be hosting RCB, who have won just one away game so far, the momentum is against Kings XI as they are coming into this match from a bit of a dry patch, losing their three previous games in a row. Punjab’s batting has looked convincing after their out of form skipper Adam Gilchrist decided to sit out, but somehow they could not manage to find the winning touch. The return of Shaun Marsh at the top has given them the solidity they were looking for. Stand-in skipper David Hussey has not quite fired this season and needs to come out with some match winning knocks, which is generally expected of him. David Miller has continued with his good form this season, scoring an important 51 in their last game against CSK. The spark shown by the likes of Mandeep Singh and Gurkeerat Singh earlier in the tournament is fizzing out gradually as they didn’t impress much in the last few games. Luke Pomersbach, whose batting has been quite cold so far, might pave way for Azhar Mahmood today. They all need to come together in order to rattle the mighty RCB.
Punjab’s bowling has been a concern all through the season with their front-line bowlers not performing to their potential. Almost all of them are going for runs in almost every game. Praveen Kumar has been their lone knight this season, helping his side with some economical spells in the first few overs of the innings. However, he also turned out to be expensive in their last game. We could see glimpses of the Parvinder Awana of last year’s IPL, when he took the 2 important wickets in the game against CSK. He will be expected to do the same in the future games to keep the KXIP’s hopes sailing. Manpreet Gony could be sitting out today after his wayward spell in the last game. David Hussey has been doing a reasonable job with his slow off-spinners, but their lead spinner Piyush Chawla has looked completely out of sorts this year and it’s going to hurt Kings XI badly if he continues be so. Azhar Mahmood has chipped in with a few wickets when given a chance, and will be expected to deliver if the team management decides in favour of him. They all need to pull up their socks today against a fearsome batting line up, comprising Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.
Conditions:
Conditions at Mohali have been generally good for batting as the ball comes onto the bat very well. However, with the tinge of grass on the pitch, it might provide some lateral movement for the pacers as well.
Head to head:
Well, it’s a balanced equation between the two sides with both teams winning 5 out the 10 games they have played against each other in all the seasons of IPL so far.
Key Players:
David Miller
David Miller - He has been crucial to most of the Punjab wins so far. He needs to come up with his best performance today in order to give his side any chance against the mighty RCB side.
Shaun Marsh - This Australian left-hander is Punjab’s highest run scorer so far combining all the seasons so far. He is the key to their batting at the top of the innings considering his capability to pile up big innings at a good strike rate.
KXIP’s strategy:
It should be a simple decision for them to bat first if they win the toss. It won’t be wise to give Gayle and co. an opportunity to make use of the good batting conditions first up. However, they should look to pamper Gayle with some short pitch stuff as the Caribbean hasn’t looked convincing facing the fast short balls at the start of the innings.
Possible XI:
They still haven’t managed to give a settled look to their team and have been experimenting a lot with their playing XI. Many players have been tried by them so far. However, after their 3 losses on the trot in the previous games, they might be tempted to go for some changes today as well.
Shaun Marsh, Mandeep Singh, David Miller, Luke Pomersbach/Azhar Mahmood, David Hussey(c), Gurkeerat Singh(wk), R Satish/M Vohra, Manpreet Gony/Harmeet Singh, Piyush Chawla, Praveen Kumar and Parvinder Awana.