On paper, Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab appear mismatched on one count- the batting. Kings XI were not tested in their opening game, chasing a paltry 100, but in their next two managed under-par scores of 138 and 124, losing both. A look at their batting line-up explains their apathy. Their captain Adam Gilchrist is struggling for runs, and in trying to break free played a poor shot on Sunday against Rajasthan Royals. Their middle order comprises uncapped Indian players in Manan Vohra, Mandeep Singh and Gurkeerat Singh and expectations from them will always be low, though all have potential. It leaves a heavy burden on David Hussey, who, not surprisingly, was their top scorer in their last two games. Azhar Mahmood is their most experienced player after Gilchrist, but Kings XI cannot afford to leave everything to their middle order and below to bail them out. The top order needs to step up, and give their bowlers a decent total to defend.
Knight Riders in contrast have a stronger top order and it makes a difference when the captain fires. While Gilchrist has been under par, his counterpart Gautam Gambhir hasn't, already piling on 175 runs from four matches. Jacques Kallis' experience is unmatched, and with Brendon McCullum fit, Knight Riders will find it hard to leave out either Kallis or Eoin Morgan to accommodate him. Having piled on 180 in their last match, against Sunrisers Hyderabad, and winning by 48 runs, it is unlikely they will want to tinker with their line-up, unless they have to.
PunterPolls Prediction
Our experts get another shocker yesterday when CSK beaten by Pune Warriors. Warriors have won comprehensively against the strong opponent and this kind of turn-around forced you to think twice before predicting anything. M. Hussey didn't play from Chennai, Methew the Pune captain stepped back for Smith and Taylor has done an incredible job as far as captaincy is concern.
Now the time for Kings XI to show some good performances in front of their home crowd and to make this tournament much more interesting. We have seen quite an ordinary team efforts by Kings XI and our experts expecting a lot from the Gilchrist and his team.
Our experts are taking chance in this particular match and would like to stick with the home team Kings XI. Especially if they will be chasing in this contest.
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