KKR will be up against KXIP in the 13th match of the IPL Season 9.© AFP
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will clash with King XI Punjab (KXIP) in the 13th match of Indian Premier League (IPL) season nine. The encounter will take place at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali. KKR have won 2 out of 3 matches that they have played till now. They won their first match of the tournament against Delhi Daredevils (DD) by 9 wickets, lost to Mumbai Indians (MI) by 6 wickets and then came back to win their third match by 8 wickets. They will look to keep their campaign on track and get the 2 points against KXIP at the latter’s home and make the most of their current form. Here’s a look at what can be their likely XI. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders , 13th T20 Match, IPL 2016
Top Order: KKR’s top order has been in sublime form. With the captain, Gautam Gambhir leading from the front, they have done the job of scoring runs for their side brilliantly. Gambhir’s form has even earned him the Orange Cap. Robin Uthappa, the other opener, has complimented him well too. The duo has made sure they don’t lose wickets early on and fire later on in the innings. Manish Pandey has been impressive too for KKR. His knock against MI although didn’t count for much as his team ended up on the losing side but he looked in good touch. Pandey showed in that innings that he can play shots all around the ground and can play sensibly at the same time. The knock was an indication that he has become more mature now. Against KXIP, the top-order will again look to get going right from the first ball. IPL 2016 Schedule, Time Table, Fixture PDF Download
Middle-Order: KKR’s middle-order has not had a lot to do until now, probably because of the top-order’s magnificent form. But when it had a chance to shine against MI, it wasn’t able to deliver. Apart from Andre Russell, who played well in the match against MI, the other players haven’t really had a chance to show their capabilities. It will be interesting to see how they perform if the top-order fails to get them off to a good start. The likes of Yusuf Pathan and Shakib Al Hasan will need to make most of the opportunities if they do get a chance to bat in the middle against KXIP. Their contribution might just turn out to be vital for KKR. Shakib and Russell have been decent with their bowling though.
Lower-Order and Bowling: The lower-order has Suryakumar Yadav and Piyush Chawla who can play small cameos if they do get the chance to bat. Chawla was expensive in the last game against SRH, but it doesn’t look like he won’t feature in the squad against KXIP. Sunil Narine couldn’t pick up wickets for his side against SRH, and therefore if Brad Hogg recovers from food poisoning he will start against KXIP. The pacers were excellent as Morne Morkel played his first match in this season’s IPL and took a wicket. Umesh Yadav was superb as he took 3 wickets. Therefore, if any changes are to be made in this side, it might be in the bowling department.
KKR Playing XI: Robin Uthappa (wk) , Gautam Gambhir (c), Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Suryakumar Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Umesh Yadav, Morne Morkel, Sunil Narine/ Brad Hogg
(Karan Dewan, a reporter with CricketCountry, loves following and playing sports. He is a Team India fan and loves winning. Follow him on his twitter handle @karan13dewan.)