What

Match 45 of VIVO IPL 2016 will see a contest between two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders and Rising Pune Supergiants.

KKR are one of the several teams locked in the mid-table race vying for the Playoff spots. With the competition for the Playoff spots becoming intense, there will be plenty of pressure on players and one is sure to see high intensity on the field. In this context, Gautam Gambhir and company will believe the 5-day they’ve had since their defeat to the Gujarat Lions has come at the right time. The team will be well-rested heading into this critical phase, refreshed and re-energised, and be all pumped up to seal their place in the top four Positions.

It hasn’t been a memorable IPL debut for Rising Pune Supergiants; with more than ten days remaining in the regular league phase, MS Dhoni and team are already out of contention from the Playoffs. RPS have only three wins from eleven matches, and even if they win their remaining three matches, they can only get to 12 points, which will not be sufficient to take them to the next stage. Despite that, RPS need to believe – they will want to come out and give their best, for the sake of their fans, for their owners and most importantly to keep their confidence intact.

Though they cannot make it to the Playoffs, RPS still play an important part in the tournament, for they could influence the fate of other teams who are vying for those Playoff spots.

When

14 May 2016, 2000 Hrs IST

Where

Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Weather

Temperature: Max 31°c, Min 30°c
Humidity: Max 79%
Wind: 15kmph

The Protagonists

Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa have over the years laid the platform for many KKR’s wins and are the team’s top two run-getters this season too. The pair understand the format well, understand their responsibilities well and operate like a machine – churning in runs consistently. There is plenty of firepower in the middle overs – Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Yusuf Pathan and Andre Russell – and each one of them has played a match-winning hand at some point in time during the season. Russell has been outstanding with the ball; the Jamaican has generally been used in the capacity of stroke bowler and he delivered - with the new ball and at the death. He, together with KKR’s plethora of spinners, will expected to tie down the opposition.

Ajinkya Rahane is RPS’ in-form batsman; with 417 runs to his name, the 27-year old will be expected to shoulder the bulk of the burden of the team’s batting needs. Usman Khawaja has got starts in his three outings so far, but for a player who has been in a rich-vein of form like he has been in, it is no justice to have a highest score of 30; RPS need him to bat long and score big runs, like he did in Australia which resulted in his call up to the Australian team. Among others, MS Dhoni needs to bat up the order too; compared to other batsmen in the RPS line-up, the captain is right up there or better of – be it in when it comes to running between the wickets or in collecting maximums off bad deliveries.

Head to Head

Kolkata Knight Riders were victors in the only previous occasion they have clashed with Rising Pune Supergiants. In that contest in Pune, RPS posted 160-5 after which the visitors escaped to a 2-wicket victory – with Umesh Yadav hitting a six with three balls to spare to seal the deal.

Trivia

Kolkata Knight Riders have an outstanding record in IPL matches at the Eden Gardens; they’ve won 31 of the 48 matches at the venue.

Sunil Narine is KKR’s top wicket-taker in the IPL with 80 wickets. The team’s second-highest wicket-taker is their coach Jacques Kallis, who has 42 wickets. Shakib al Hasan is third on the list with 41 wickets.

Kolkata Knight Riders have taken the most wickets among all teams in VIVO IPL 2016 – 67.

Keeping in trend with the results this season, 3 of the four matches played at the Eden Gardens this season have been won by the team chasing.

The Eden Gardens has historically known to produce surfaces that assist spinners. But in VIVO IPL 2016, the quick bowlers have had more success at the venue; they’ve picked up 19 wickets and have an economy of 7.77, as against 14 wickets for spinners at an economy of 8.37.

What Next

Next up for Kolkata Knight Riders is their home clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore, with the match scheduled to be played on May 16. Rising Pune Supergiants meanwhile head back to their adopted home ground – Visakhapatnam – and play host to the Delhi Daredevils on May 17.