Kings XI Punjab lock horns with the home side Rising Pune Supergiants at Vizag in the first game scheduled for Saturday. In the context of the tournament this game might seem to be insignificant, but these two proud teams will give it their all to ensure they don't finish an embarrassing last in the Vivo IPL 2016. Both sides are on eight points and this game will be played for the 7th/8th position in the table. In case it rains, the Supergiants will end up in the 7th position because of a superior NRR.
Coming on the back of a disastrous game against RCB, KXIP would want to pull themselves up one last time in an attempt to give their fans something to cheer about. The Supergiants did well to upset the Daredevils at Vizag in their last game, and MS Dhoni will be hoping for more of the same from his boys. It will be interesting to see the approach of both the sides as they will be disappointed and hurting from their current predicament.
Also read: Rising Pune Supergiants beat Delhi Daredevils by 19 runs via D/L method
The spinners will have a big role to play at Vizag, and the team winning the toss should opt to field. The home team start favourites as they would be feeling confident after beating the Daredevils here in the last game.
Venue: Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Vishakhapatnam
Match date: May 21, 2016
Match timings: 1600 hrs IST
If Kings XI Punjab bat first
Predicted Score: 150 and above
Hashim Amla and Murali Vijay should open the innings and a solid start will be expected from them. Vijay has not done too badly after taking over the reins from David Miller, and he would desperately want to finish the season with a win.
Miller, on the other hand, would want to bow out with a bang. His form has been inconsistent but the fans would want to see vintage “Killer Miller” before the end of Punjab's campaign.
The absence of Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell will hurt Punjab though. Wriddhiman Saha, who might bat at No. 3, would want to contribute too to stake a claim for a spot in the Indian limited-overs team for the Zimbabwe series.
Also read: Sanjay Bangar feels Glenn Maxwell's absence is a huge blow for KXIP
The bowlers will be extremely low on confidence after they were taken apart by Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle in the last game. They would like to erase those memories but to do that they would have to remind themselves that it's a new day. Sandeep Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Kyle Abbott are fine bowlers, and they must back themselves to come good against the Supergiants.
Axar Patel, who was punished severely by Gayle in the last game, will look to bowl slightly slower at Vizag since the wicket will aid spin. It may not be a bad idea to try the leg-spinner Pardeep Sahu for this game instead of Cariappa. Axar vs Dhoni is an intriguing contest to look forward to.
If Rising Pune Supergiants bat first
Predicted score: 165 and above
Dhoni's men will be playing for pride here and the openers Rahane and Khawaja would look to dominate at the top. They might be slightly cautious against Sandeep Sharma's prodigious swing early on, but trust them to get their team off to a solid start once things settle down.
George Bailey will come in at 3 followed by the likes of Thisara Perera and MS Dhoni. Expect some big hitting from those two; Thisara Perera vs Mohit Sharma should be an exciting contest in the death.
Things look better for the Supergiants on the bowling front – Ashok Dinda and Adam Zampa have been outstanding in the last few games. Zampa in particular has impressed one and all with his leg spin, and we might see the youngster don the baggy green very soon in Tests. Comparisons with Shane Warne will only perk up the young man who seems to have a bright future.
Expect Deepak Chahar to chip in with a few overs. Irfan Pathan might get another game and he would desperately want to prove his worth for the Supergiants. R Ashwin, meanwhile, looks slightly jaded after a gruelling season of intense cricket and Dhoni might decide to give him some rest.
Expect the Supergiants to go past the Kings in this tie.
Probable winners: Rising Pune Supergiants
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