What

Match 8 of VIVO IPL 2017 will see Kings XI Punjab pitted against the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Both teams were victorious in their respective matches on Saturday and will look to build on those wins. KXIP were quite professional in their win against Rising Pune Supergiant; the bowlers did extremely well to restrict the opposition to 163, after which all the batsmen contributed to the run-chase. Glenn Maxwell, who had a dreadful season last time round, started this season with a bang; in a match that marked his debut as captain, the Australian top-scored with a stroke-filled 44, and he, along with the team, will take plenty of confidence from that performance.

Royal Challengers Bangalore won a close match against the Delhi Daredevils. On a wicket with spongy bounce, they denied DD after giving them a modest 153 to chase. True to their motto, RCB were bold on Saturday and reaped the results; they weren’t afraid to make four changes to the team that lost the season’s opener, and captain Shane Watson was impressive in how he marshalled his resources. The RCB dressing room must be delighted that the bowlers – who were dismal in the defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad – stepped up and defended a below-par total. The win augurs well for RCB, for they are not too far from welcoming AB de Villiers back to the ranks; his return could be a huge boost to the RCB batting line-up.

When

10 April 2017, 2000 Hrs IST

Where

Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore

The Protagonists

Glenn Maxwell and David Miller, given how destructive they can be, hold the key to how successful KXIP can be – not only in this particular match but in the tournament too. Where RCB are concerned, Chris Gayle – given his exploits with the bat over the years, and KedarJadhav, who starred in the previous match, will be central characters in the team’s batting plans. AB de Villiers, if he makes the RCB XI, will be a huge force too.

Match within the match

Statistics indicate towards a possible weakness for Glenn Maxwell against leg-spinners; among the various varieties of spinners, the Australian has been dismissed most by wrist spinners. In that context, his battle against YuzvendraChahal promises to make for interesting viewing.

Head to Head

Overall: Matches – 18, Kings XI Punjab Won – 10, Royal Challengers Bangalore Won - 8

In 2016: Matches – 2, KXIP Won – 0, RCB Won – 2

Trivia

Glenn Maxwell has a score to settle against Royal Challengers Bangalore; in five matches against RCB, he has scored a total of 45 runs, with a best of 25.

Chris Gayle is 25 runs short of becoming the first batsman to score 10000 runs in T20 cricket.

What Next

Kings XI Punjab will play their first away fixture of the season when they travel to Kolkata on April 13 to take on the Kolkata Knight Riders. RCB will be seen in action on April 14 when they play host to the Mumbai Indians.