BCCI.TV
Preview: M28 - GL vs KXIP
01 May, 2016
Preview: M28 - GL vs KXIP
30 Apr, 2016
What
Match 28 of VIVO IPL 2016 will see a clash between teams at two ends of the table; table-toppers Gujarat Lions will clash with Kings XI Punjab who occupy the floor of the table.
The Lions have established quite a lead over most of the other teams with six wins from seven outings. Suresh Raina’s side seems to have made winning a habit; they won their first three games pretty easily, and in the following three games – tightly contested matches decided right at the post – held their nerves and snatched two points from the opponents hands. In their three most recent games, they chased down 181 against RCB (winning with three balls to spare), beat Delhi Daredevils by one run and most recently chased down 196 against Rising Pune Supergiants off the last ball of the match.
Kings XI Punjab have a solitary win from their six matches – this despite playing the bulk of their matches at home. The franchise has made the first move towards getting their campaign back on track by relieving David Miller of captaincy duties. Murali Vijay’s side needs to start piling on the wins – now – if they are to remain in the contest. It is expected that sides need to win at least seven matches and have a very good net run rate to stand a chance to qualify for the Playoffs. Keeping that equation in mind, KXIP now face the situation of having to win at least six of their remaining eight matches and improve their NRR, which at the moment is -1.174.
When
1 May 2016, 1600 Hrs IST
Where
SCA Stadium, Rajkot
Weather
Temperature: Max 40°c, Min 36°c
Humidity: Max 19%
Wind: 20kmph
The Protagonists
Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum have caused the bulk of the damage for the Gujarat Lions. Since they have come together, the Lions opening pair has seen the team off to whirlwind starts in all the three matches; they have been involved in partnerships of 47, 112 and 93. Gujarat Lions will want them to cause more damage in the coming days, but expect them to stay longer and finish off things. It is expected that Aaron Finch, who starred in the Lions’ first three wins, will have recovered sufficiently; the Lions management will be faced with difficult decisions to make if the Australian is available for selection – firstly in deciding if Finch walks back into the XI, secondly who he replaces in the XI, and finally where he bats.
Kings XI Punjab need to bat better. On the three occasions they’ve batted first, they’ve posted scores of 111-9, 138-8 and 143-6 and not surprisingly ended up on the losing side. In each of those three matches, it is not that the conditions have been very challenging because the opposition has cantered to a win when they’ve had the chance to bat. KXIP will be desperate for their two destroyers in their middle to come to the party; in their previous match against Mumbai Indians, Glenn Maxwell made 56 from 39 ball and that augurs well for the team. Relieved of captaincy duties, one expected Miller will come out invigorated and be the attacking batsman who has demolished many an international bowling attacks. One of newly-appointed captain Murali Vijay, or Shaun Marsh, needs to drop anchor and bat through the innings allowing others to flourish at the other end.
Head to Head
When KXIP and GL met in Mohali earlier this season, the visitors chased down 162 quite easily. Powered by Aaron Finch’s 47-ball 74 – which won him the Man of the Match award – the Lions romped to a 5 wicket win, with 14 balls to spare.
Trivia
Murali Vijay will be the 9th player to captain Kings XI Punjab in the IPL.
Murali Vijay will be walking out to toss the coin for the first time in the IPL. However, he has captained in T20 matches previously; he has led Tamil Nadu to 6 wins in 7 T20 matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
In VIVO IPL 016 Sandeep Sharma’s economy rate while bowling in the Powerplay overs is 6.50; 4 of the 6 wickets he has picked up in the season have been in the first six overs.
Gujarat Lions have a 100% record in run-chases in VIVO IPL 2016; they’ve chased in 5 matches and have been successful in each one of those games.
What Next
The Gujarat Lions next host the Delhi Daredevils on May 3, while Kings XI Punjab head to Kolkata to take on the Kolkata Knight Riders on May 4.
