What

Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders – two teams locked up in the mid-table battle for a playoff berth – will come up against each other in Match 44 of VIVO IPL 2018.

At one stage earlier in the season, KXIP had five wins from six matches; however, they’ve lost a bit of that momentum and fallen behind in the race, posting just one win in their last four matches. KKR have slipped to the bottom half of the table; the Dinesh Karthik-led team have not managed to carry forward momentum for more than two matches.

Both teams are coming off defeats in their respective previous matches; KXIP suffered at the hands of the Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur, while KKR suffered a drubbing at the hands of their nemesis Mumbai Indians.

KKR have concerns relating to their bowling attack – which they need to address immediately. In their last five matches, they have conceded more than 200 twice and more than 180 on one other occasion. The pace bowlers are just not causing enough damage; in the ten matches so far, the KKR quicks have only picked up a total of 21 wickets, while leaking runs at a rate of 10.50 runs per over on an average. The lack of quality alternatives in the squad, and Andre Russell’s fitness issues are also hampering captain Karthik’s options.

KXIP need to resist experimenting, particularly with their batting order. Twice in three matches now, their decision to rejig the batting order has backfired. On Tuesday in Jaipur, the captain Ravichandran Ashwin promoted himself to number three and Akshdeep Nath (in his first outing) was sent to bat at number five ahead of the experienced Manoj Tiwary; outcome, KXIP failed to chase down 159 despite KL Rahul holding fort and batting beautifully at one end.

Given how closely the teams are packed in the middle of the table, it is quite possible that only one of these teams could progress to the playoffs. And in that context, the two points in this match are extremely crucial. Who will grab those two points?

When

12 May 2018, 1600Hrs (IST)

Where

Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore

Impact Batsmen

There is so much to like about the way KL Rahul has batted so far this season; in the initial weeks of the competition, he absolutely blitzed away with some breath-taking strokes, on one occasion even scoring the fastest half-century in the IPL. His last two innings have exposed another facet to his batting; he has illustrated that he has the temperament to build and pace an innings. Chris Gayle is the one other KXIP batsman to watch out for. The Jamaican scored four half-centuries in his first five innings this season, but comes into this game at the back of two single-digit scores; he will be keen to return to run-scoring ways.

In KKR’s 5 wins this season, Sunil Narine has scored 145 runs at a strike-rate of 166.67. In their five defeats, the Trinidadian has only managed a total of 57 runs. Those numbers illustrate how crucial the left-hander has been at the top. In the last couple of matches, Narine has been dismissed for scores of 5 & 4; KKR need him to set the momentum early on. Among others, Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik are KKR’s in-form batsmen; with the stakes high, they need the experienced duo to post big scores.

Impact Bowlers

Kings XI Punjab have two of the top three wicket-takers in VIVO IPL 2018; Andrew Tye (16 wickets)has been outstanding, particularly at the back end, while Mujeeb ur Rahman (14 wickets) has been extremely miserly whenever given the ball.

Sunil Narine, with 13 wickets in 11 matches,is KKR’s most successful bowler. The Trinidad spinner will be aware that there is scope for a massive improvement in his numbers when on the road; while he has picked up 10 wickets in 6 home matches this season, on the road his returns are 3 wickets from 5 matches and an economy rate of 9.11.

Team Head to Head

Overall: Matches – 22, Kings XI Punjab won – 8, Kolkata Knight Riders won – 14

When these two teams met in Kolkata earlier this season, KXIP walked away with the two points after they got the better of the Knight Riders in a rain-affected encounter. Given a revised target of 125 in 13 overs, KXIP were powered to a 9-wicket win by a 116-run opening partnership between Chris Gayle and KL Rahul.

Trivia

All 7 IPL matches played in Indore have been won by the team chasing. So far this season, teams have chased down 175 & 153, winning both matches quite convincingly.

KKR’s results this season:

• At Home: Won, Lost, Won, Lost, Won, Lost
• Away: Lost, Won, Lost, Won, Lost

Kings XI Punjab have the highest average opening partnership this season – 50.70. Their opponents KKR have the lowest average opening partnership this season – 17.00.

What Next

For Kings XI Punjab: Home fixture Vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore, 14 May.

For Kolkata Knight Riders: Home fixture Vs. Rajasthan Royals, 15 May.