IPL 6: PWI v/s KXIP - Pune Warriors Preview

There are 2 teams in this year’s IPL who have played near-identical cricket in all their 6 league matches – the Knight Riders and the Pune Warriors. The Sahara outfit seems to be going from bad to worse the way they were unable to chase down 120 against the Sunrisers. Even with the return of Steve Smith to the side, their fortunes haven’t taken a turn for the better. A bit surprising, considering the amount of power-packed individuals present in the squad. Up against fellow laggards Kings XI Punjab, the beleaguered side will have to put forth 200% effort if they are to get their campaign back on track.

Pune’s bowling looks extremely formidable with young seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar leading the pace attack admirably in the company of Bengal tearaway Ashok Dinda. Leggie Rahul Sharma has blown hot and cold this season, but on a Mohali track that offers something to spinners, his subtle variations can trouble the hapless Punjab batsmen. Given the slow nature of the pitch and also the number of left-handers in the Punjab side, Angelo Mathews might be tempted to play J & K all-rounder Parvez Rasool or his fellow Sri Lankan Ajantha Mendis. The skipper himself is a good seam-up option along with Mitchell Marsh.

However, the batting has so far failed to live up to its standards. Robin Uthappa and Aaron Finch have provided the side with decent starts, but the former RCB power hitter needs to convert his 20s into bigger scores. Ross Taylor, too, hasn’t fired in this season – and that has hurt the side a lot, especially with Yuvraj Singh unavailable due to a recurring back injury. The rest of the middle order has collapsed without a fight – a fact not lost on batting coach Praveen Amre. Head coach Allan Donald will look to motivate his wards and impress upon them the seriousness of clicking as a cohesive unit.

Conditions – The Mohali pitch has something in it for both spinners and pacers alike. It is one of the reasons why the Punjab bowling has done quite well in recent games they have played here. Given the kind of bowling attacks that both sides possess, Sunday’s game might turn out to be a low-scoring one, and a thriller to boot. On paper, PWI are the better bowling side by a very thin margin.

Players to watch out for – Steve Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Angelo Mathews and Aaron Finch have all performed to potential. Former Kings XI player Abhishek Nayar has also been in decent nick, and he would look to take the attack to the opposition if selected. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rahul Sharma have also come along in leaps and bounds.

X Factor – Yuvraj Singh (if he recovers in time) is one guy who brings balance to a struggling side. He can make a tremendous impact on the game, especially as Mohali is one of his happy hunting grounds. Not only can he play the shots and rotate the strike, his left-arm spin will be more than handy on this dustbowl of a track. Robin Uthappa is another X Factor as he can anchor and attack.

Prediction – It will be a contest of Punjab’s bowling v/s Pune’s batting. My bet is on the home side – especially since opener Shaun Marsh is set to return to the squad. If Pune can just keep it together, they might make a match of it. However, Kings XI Punjab is the favourite for this one.