Pune Warriors India vs Kings XI Punjab - Preview

The Pune Warriors play Kings XI Punjab today at Pune’s brand new home ground, the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium. PWI’s first match of the season against Mumbai Indians ended in a shocking, but well deserved, victory for the team. KXIP, on the other hand, did not display anything exceptional in their first outing, and their loss was no surprise. While PWI did not capitalise on their top order as they should have, they kept MI from the target by a brilliant combination of their bowlers’ talent and captain’s strategy. KXIP also had a disappointing top order performance but were unable to retaliate even with bowlers of high calibre such as Praveen Kumar and Piyush Chawla.

The uncertain factor that puts both teams at a disadvantage is the newness of the stadium. With no past records to refer to, and not much practice time, both teams face a pitch that could favour either the bowlers or the batsmen. And both captains will be required to be at their strategic best.

Head to head

The Pune Warriors India and Kings XI Punjab came face to face twice last year. KXIP lost both matches, going down by 7 and 5 wickets at Pune’s and Punjab’s home ground respectively.

Players to watch out for

Kings XI Punjab

Adam Gilchrist may not have stood strong against the Rajasthan Royals. But his long career has been marked more by successes than failures. And if his “just smack the ball” attitude sets in, he may become that challenge that PWI’s bowlers cannot meet.

James Faulkner, with his variations that stopped Rahane’s near-century, might be able to do some damage earlier than hid did against the Rajasthan Royals. PWI’s already shaky batting order will need to watch out for him on the new and untested pitch that could be the factor that gives him the required advantage.

Mandeep Singh: Shaun Marsh’s poor form, as seen in his last match, heaps greater pressure and expectations on the young Mandeep Singh. Singh seems to have the desire to replicate his past performances as one of the better batsmen of the KXIP team. But his young exuberance and short span of experience may not be enough to hold out against PWI’s bowlers, making him the KXIP’s X-factor.

Pune Warriors India

Ashok Dinda, one of the most economical bowlers and PWI’s latest asset, made their investment in him worthwhile as he effortlessly picked four important wickets in their match against MI. With expectations high and ambition higher, Dinda might become the complexity the KXIP’s batsmen cannot overcome unless they get their act together – and fast.

Robin Uthappa held his ground in front of MI’s battery of bowlers. The less intimidating bowlers of KXIP might not be able to control his unafraid batting, making his performance one to look out for.

Manish Pandey: Against MI, Pandey crumbled under the onslaught of Malinga. His dismissal could have been a result of nervousness, of playing against a team that had owned them last year or of facing the well-known terror, Malinga. But his past records put him on a pedestal of expectations. What remains to be seen is whether he shakes off those jitters and puts his talent and experience to use against KXIP, making him PWI’s X-factor.

Prediction

Both teams have batsmen of almost equal standing, with neither line-up being close to the tournament’s heavyweight line-ups. But where PWI may lack in this aspect, they make up for by the talent of their bowlers which is greater than that of KXIP. Based on the two teams’ matches of this season so far, PWI seem to have an edge over KXIP and their victory now depends on whether they utilise this advantage.