KKR vs KXIP Match Prediction: Who will win today's match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab, IPL 2016, Match 32

Kings XI Punjab squares off against the home side, Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens in Match no. 32 of the Vivo IPL, 2016. These two teams are sitting at the opposite ends of the spectrum as far as the points table is concerned. The Kings are at 4 points with just two wins and the KKR are sitting pretty at No. 3 with 10 points in their kitty. Kings XI sprang a surprise against the Gujarat Lions at Rajkot after they appointed Murali Vijay as their skipper. The Kings though can't allow slip-ups at this stage as one more loss could virtually throw them out of the competition. Here is the complete match prediction analysis for KKR vs KXIP clash.

Kolkata Knight Riders have been on a roll courtesy some outstanding batting. The openers have been in red hot form and middle order has also come into its own with the likes of Yusuf Pathan and Andre Russell playing some scintillating knocks. Gambhir is a seasoned captain and he will know that a couple of wins here will surely help them book a place in the playoffs. The fact that an in-form KKR will be playing in home conditions makes them overwhelming favourites for this tie.

Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Match date: May 3, 2016

Match timings: 2000 Hrs IST

If Kings XI Punjab bat first

Predicted score: 150 and above

It was a good move to open with Marcus Stoinis and he should open in this game too. Murali Vijay played a captain's knock in the last match and the Kings would want an encore from him. The huge setback for Punjab though is losing Shaun Marsh to injury for the rest of this IPL. Marsh had shown fine form in the previous games and his experience would have been handy towards the business end of the tournament.

Farhan Behardien will be expected to take Marsh’s place and might bat in the lower middle order. It might be a better option to send Gurkeerat Mann at no.3 followed by Miller and Maxwell. Miller showed some form in the previous game and that bodes well for Punjab as he will be expected to bat more freely without the burden of captaincy on his shoulders.

The bowling looked purposeful in the previous game. The ‘Sharma duo’ that is Mohit Sharma and Sandeep Sharma would like to keep it tight in the powerplays. Mohit has been amongst the wickets in this IPL and has looked threatening bowling in the death. The man of the moment though is Axar Patel who picked up a hat-trick in the last game. Axar was under immense pressure to deliver for his team and he stood up to the challenge and how! If the bowlers can knock the KKR openers out inside the first 5 overs, the rest of the bowling can make life difficult for the opposition.

If Kolkata Knight Riders bat first

Predicted score: 175 and above

The KKR openers Gambhir and Uthappa will stick to their strategy of hitting the big shots and follow it up by pinching the quick single. An opening partnership of 50 plus will surely put KKR on course of a big score. The middle order consists of the experienced trio of Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, and Andre Russell. Chris Lynn might be given another opportunity at No. 3 to provide some impetus to the innings.

KKR will look to go hard against the relatively inexperienced Punjab spinners. They have to be wary of the canny Axar Patel whose subtle changes in pace could trouble the likes of Pathan and Russell. A dangerous looking Pathan gives a new dimension to the batting line-up of the Knight Riders and they will more than welcome his return to form.

On the bowling front, Morne Morkel will partner Andre Russell with the new ball. Morkel could trouble the openers with his awkward bounce and he might test Vijay's backfoot play. Umesh Yadav will bowl one change and KKR would be pleased with Yadav's form in the Vivo IPL so far. The spinners Narine and Chawla will be keen to exploit the conditions at Eden and they could be a handful if the wicket is on the drier side. Expect Kolkata Knight Riders to win this rubber comfortably unless Punjab continues to play giant-killers.

Probable winners: Kolkata Knight Riders