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Preview: M10 - KXIP vs RPS
17 Apr, 2016
Preview: M10 - KXIP vs RPS
16 Apr, 2016
What
Kings XI Punjab, in pursuit of their first points of the season, will battle with Rising Pune Supergiants when the two teams come up against each other in Match 10 of VIVO IPL 2016.
Kings XI Punjab have had two poor games so far. They struggled to defend 161 runs in the match against Gujarat Lions, losing the match in 17.4 overs. In the second match in Delhi, the wheels came off the batting line-up and the team collapsed to 99 for 9, eventually finishing at 111. What hasn’t helped KXIP’s cause is that their overseas internationals haven’t fired yet; between Miller, Marsh and Maxwell, the team has only realised 39 runs from five innings. The bowlers too have struggled to control the run-flow; in the 31.1 overs KXIP have bowled in their two matches, there have been 14 overs in which the bowlers have conceded 10 runs or more.
Rising Pune Supergiants beat the Mumbai Indians in the season-opener, before suffering a bad loss at the hands of Gujarat Lions in their second outing. The team did fairly well on the batting front, but despite having 163 runs on the board failed to defend the target. In his post-match chat with the broadcasters, RPS skipper MS Dhoni indicated that his team hadn’t yet found the right personnel for the right roles, suggesting there might be changes made to the XI. RP Singh has been ineffective with the new ball upfront, conceding 51 runs in five overs, and there might be a case for the inclusion of Irfan Pathan. The team needs to weigh up how much Steve Smith, who isn’t captain in this set up, brings to the team; the Australian doesn’t bowl his leg-spinners as frequently and hasn’t quite stamped his authority as a finisher in this format. Therefore, the team might consider bolstering their middle order with some more power in the form of either Thisara Perera or Albie Morkel.
When
17 April 2016, 1600 Hrs IST
Where
IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali
Weather
Temperature: Max 37°c, Min 33°c
Humidity: Max 31%
Wind: 11kmph
The Protagonists
It wouldn’t be too far off the mark to say batting is Kings XI Punjab’s stronger department – for they have four international players in their top five. It is important that one of Murali Vijay or Shaun Marsh anchor the innings. The team’s two most destructive players - skipper David Miller and Glenn Maxwell – who have had poor tournaments so far, being dismissed in the same over on both occasions, will need to start making their presence felt. On the bowling front, much was expected of Mitchell Johnson, but the Australian hasn’t found his radar yet, conceding runs at the rate of nine runs per over in the two matches.
For the Rising Pune Supergiants, one of Ajinkya Rahane, Faf du Plessis, Kevin Pietersen or MS Dhoni needs to get a big score. There is a case for Dhoni to promote himself to number four. On the bowling front, R Ashwin has been MS Dhoni’s bankable bowler over the years, and the off-spinner will be expected to shoulder the responsibility of being the team’s premier bowler.
Trivia
Kings XI Punjab have won only one of their last 5 matches at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. In the 2014 season, when they made it to the Final, KXIP won six of their 7 home matches.
In both their matches so far, Rising Pune Supergiants have posted scores of 57-0 and 57-1 in the Powerplay Overs.
In their two matches so far, Kings XI Punjab have only scored 50% of their runs through boundaries; that’s the lowest boundary percentage among all the eight teams this season.
In their two matches so far, KXIP’s average run rate between overs 16 & 20 has been 7.40.
No bowler has taken more wickets under one particular captain than R Ashwin’s 89 IPL wickets under MS Dhoni as captain.
What Next
Kings XI Punjab will play their second home match in three days when they next play host to the Kolkata Knight Riders on April 19. The Supergiants meanwhile play their first home game of the season when they host Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 22.
