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Preview: M13 - KXIP vs KKR
03 Apr, 2017
Preview: M13 - KXIP vs KKR
03 Apr, 2017
What
Match 13 of VIVO IPL 2016 will see Kings XI Punjab lock horns with the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Kings XI Punjab, after losing their first two matches, got their tournament underway when they defeated a formidable Rising Pune Supergiants side on Sunday. The team will be back at the venue on Tuesday, buoyed with that win and look to add two more points to their kitty.
The Kolkata Knight Riders have two wins from three matches – both their victories being extremely convincing. The team are going to be on the road until the first week of May, and they have started their away campaign with a convincing eight wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. A win in this contest will give them a chance to go top of the table.
When
19 April 2016, 2000 Hrs IST
Where
IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali
Weather
Temperature: Max 31°c, Min 27°c
Humidity: Max 34%
Wind: 6kmph
The Protagonists
Given their strike-rates, six-hitting skills and ability to destroy opponents, David Miller and Glenn Maxwell will always be seen as the most dangerous batsmen in the KXIP ranks. Shaun Marsh has been a consistent performer – even in a fickle format like T20 – and hence his name also comes up in discussions among important players in KXIP. But the two players who have gone about scoring the job of runs silently are the two Indian openers – Murali Vijay and Manan Vohra. Both batsmen are very good on technique and back themselves to score runs in all conditions. For KXIP to do well consistently, the two openers not only need to establish a platform, but also look at the possibility of one of them playing through most part of the twenty overs. On the bowling front, the two Sharmas – Sandeep and Mohit – will be important at the start and at the death respectively.
KKR have very good balance in their team – and very good options on all fronts. On the batting front, the team has relied heavily on its openers to set up a platform, and Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa have obliged time and again. On the bowling front, it will be interesting to see if KKR bring in Brad Hogg, who missed the previous match because of a stomach bug, to add more venom to their spin bowling department alongside Sunil Narine.
Head to Head
The Kolkata Knight Riders have a 11-6 win-loss record in 17 IPL matches against Kings XI Punjab. KKR have won the last five meetings between these two teams – including the Final of IPL 2014.
In matches played in Mohali though, the teams share honours with two wins apiece.
Trivia
In their three matches so far, Manan Vohra and Murali Vijay have been involved in opening partnerships of 78, 8 and 97. In contrast, KXIP’s bowlers have separated the opposition openers with just 1, 9 and 10 runs on the board in the three matches.
Kings XI Punjab have conceded the fewest sixes in VIVO IPL 2016 – 3.
Kings XI Punjab are the only team to not bowl a No Ball in VIVO IPL 2016, while the Kolkata Knight Riders have conceded the most runs through Wide deliveries this season – 24.
KKR’s Yusuf Pathan one more hit over the boundary to post 200 sixes in T20 cricket; the all-rounder will be the fourth Indian batsman to reach the 200-sixes milestone after Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh.
The last three T20 matches played at the IS Bindra Stadium have been won by teams chasing. In the 37 IPL matches played at the venue, 22 have been won chasing.
What Next
Kings XI Punjab will head to Hyderabad for their away clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad, scheduled to be played on April 23. The Kolkata Knight Riders, will play their third game in their six-away-game-stretch, when they stop over in Pune to clash with Rising Pune Supergiants on April 24.
