IANS/Pune
Having lost the last of their individual encounters, both Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will seek their path to recovery when they lock horns against each other in an Indian Premier League clash today
A win for either side will do them a world of good, especially if the Kings XI can pull this off as they have just won one of their three matches. In a repeat of last year’s final when KKR had the last laugh, the runners-up will want to turn the tables this time around with their big hitting batsmen.
Australian Glen Maxwell and South Africa’s David Miller, the big-hitting duo of Punjab, will be raring to go, after missing out in the previous matches.
Skipper George Bailey, who blasted his way to an unbeaten 61 helping his side notch their only win against Mumbai Indians, will also look to anchor the innings and take it till the end.
KKR will have to get their combination right if they want to topple their opponents. Missing Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan because of national commitments would not do them much good either. The onus of scoring the runs will again be on skipper Gautam Gambhir, who has been battling fever and a stomach bug for some days, Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey.
They would entrust their bowling responsibilities to their West Indies spin spearhead Sunil Narine and leading pace Morne Morkel, whose fielding and catching has left a lot to be desired.
Daredevils eye second consecutive win
Delhi Daredevils will approach their today’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad with renewed enthusiasm after snapping a 11-match losing streak in the tournament.
Daredevils, aided by responsible knocks from experienced Yuvraj Singh and young Mayank Agarwal, defeated Kings XI Punjab by five wickets on Wednesday after losing their opening two matches of this edition of the tournament.
But they will be matched in destructive ability by a powerful Sunrisers batting boasting the likes of skipper David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson and Eoin Morgan. Both teams are on an even keel having lost two of their first three matches.
Kings XI Punjab have just won one of their three matches. (BCCI)
