Kolkata Knight Riders are all set to take on mighty KXIP at their home ground Eden gardens. Both the teams led by Tamilians Dinesh Karthik and R.Ashwin and as on the paper both teams are equally poised. KKR’s lower middle order and their pace bowling came under scrutiny last year and team management seems to have learned the right lessons and added few players who have got the ability to short down these issues. With experienced top order along with exciting and young middle order looks KKR a more threatening side this season. Not to forget they have got a world class spin bowling line up which has got the ability to run through their money.
KXIP on another hand has got a strong start last season as they have won 5 out of 6 matches during the start of the season but failed to keep the momentum going and ended up not reaching playoffs. They have suffered due to lack of form for a few players and they have also struggled to find the right combination which also costs them heavily. Like KKR their lower middle order also not able to fire last season and this time they have added few players through IPL auctions are expected to come good this season.
Team statistics
_1526114299825.jpg "KKR Vs KXIP Preview")
KKR has got the bigger winning percentage than any other teams against Kings XI Punjab as they won 14 matches out of 20 they played against each other. At Eden Gardens, they have maintained the best winning record against KXIP as they have won 7 out of the 10 matches played there. On the currently playing players, r9oobin Uthappa tops the run chart with 349 runs and Sunil Narine tops the bowling chart with 26 wickets. It is evident that KXIP has to face the uphill task against KKR this evening.
What to expect between these two sides
KKR, as mentioned earlier, will look to continue the dominant streak against KXIP. With the Eden gardens pitch traditionally suits the spin bowling their spin trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla, and Sunil Narine all expected to play a huge role in their success. Their lower middle orders also got strengthen with the arrival of Carlos Braithwaite and harry gurney. They will look to emerge victorious in order to take an early lead in the tournament.
KXIP’s team managed has learned the right lesson and they have got few value-added additions which make the team more competitive on paper. It is all about finding right combinations when it comes to t20 and KXIP is expected to find this season with the arrival of Hardus Viljoen, Moises Henriques, Nicholas Pooran and Varun Chakravarthy. With the arrival of experienced and in-form Shami, their bowling looks far better than last seasons.
Players To Watch Out For KKR
Sunil Narine
One of the best spinners the West Indian cricket has ever produced Sunil Narine needs no introduction to a world cup. With changing in action and not getting clearance from ICC to bowl in international tournaments along with fitness issues have halted him a lot last year. He is now fresh and raring to go and with Eden gardens pitch traditionally suits spin bowling he is expected to play a huge role in this match.
Robin Uthappa
Once touted as big things in Indian cricket but due to fitness issues, he couldn’t able to live up to the expectations. But he did a fine job when it comes to t20 cricket. He is one of the mainstays of KKR batting line-up over the years. He is expected to repeat the same performance this match in order to seal the victory.
Players To Watch Out For KXIP
KL Rahul
One of the charismatic openers has faded away due to inconsistent performance but his current form in recently concluded Ind-Aus t20 series made him back into the radar. He is the highest run scorer of KXIP last season and with world cup around the corner, he is expected to come good in this tournament which will help him to earn a place in Indian team.
Mayank Agarwal
There were lots of expectations on Mayank Agarwal last season as he scored heavily in domestic and list A tournaments but he failed. But this time he is a different player now and his recent international success has boosted his confidence a lot. He is expected to play a huge role this season.
Final words
KXIP have to put a collective effort in order to emerge victoriously. KKR has to concentrate on their pace bowling to seal a comfortable victory.
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