KKR seek to climb high as IPL returns to Eden

Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)

Kolkata Knight Riders will play the first of four straight home games at Eden Gardens on the back of an emphatic five-wicket win, engineered by Yusuf Pathan and Andre Russell, over Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday. In their way are Kings XI Punjab, who put it past table toppers Gujarat Lions in Rajkot to post their second win this season.

Knight Riders have remained in the top half of the table though theirs hasn't been a flawless season. Their initial success was driven by the prolific opening pair of Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa, and an enviable line-up of spinners. As the season has progressed, those who didn't have much of a role to play initially - Suryakumar Yadav and Yusuf to name a few - have produced results.

That isn't to say there are no worries. Sunil Narine, central to their plans during the course of their title-winning runs in 2012 and 2014, has been decent - six wickets in six matches - but not devastating with his reworked action. Umesh Yadav, their most successful pacer this season, struggled in Bangalore. Their combined figures against Royal Challengers read 8-0-101-1. The efforts of Russell, Morne Morkel and Chawla made up for those expensive overs.

Bottom-placed Kings XI have more questions than answers. Can their new captain M Vijay utilise his resources shrewdly? Will they be able to fill Shaun Marsh's void? Will David Miller build on the semblance of form he showed in the previous game?

Even so, Kings XI's win over Gujarat Lions, defending only 154, would have boosted a team that entered that match as underdogs. Vijay's continuing good form and Axar Patel's confidence-building hat-trick would give the team grounds for quiet optimism.

Kolkata Knight Riders WLLWW (last five matches, most recent first)
Kings XI Punjab WLLLW

Piyush Chawla has the best strike rate (20.1) and average (27.16) of Knight Riders' frontline spinners this season. He picked up the key wickets of KL Rahul and AB de Villiers on Monday to stall Royal Challengers. The seam-up delivery he bowled to de Villiers beat him for pace. With Narine far from being the force he once was, Chawla's contributions have been significant.

Shaun Marsh's departure may give David Miller a little more breathing space. Having been replaced as captain, Miller has an opportunity to prove he remains integral to the team's plans. A patchy 31 against Lions was his highest score of the season, but much more will be expected of him in the coming games. A knock of substance against Knight Riders could be the spark that Kings XI have been looking for.

As Knight Riders return to Eden Gardens, where spinners have a greater say, there may be merit in bringing Shakib Al Hasan back into the XI. Chris Lynn would presumably be the one to make way.

Kolkata Knight Riders (probable): 1 Robin Uthappa (wk), 2 Gautam Gambhir (capt), 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Suryakumar Yadav, 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Sunil Narine

Marsh's absence could translate an opportunity for South African batsman Farhaan Behardien in the Kings XI middle order, even as Manan Vohra could return to open the batting. It's unlikely that they will tinker with their bowling combination.

Kings XI Punjab (probable): 1 M Vijay (capt), 2 Manan Vohra, 3 Marcus Stoinis, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 David Miller, 6 Wriddhiman Saha, 7 Farhaan Behardien/Gurkeerat Singh, 8 Axar Patel, 9 KC Cariappa, 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Sandeep Sharma

Eden Gardens has hosted just two matches, both in the season's first week, with the chasing sides winning. There is likely to be grip and turn for the spinners, as has traditionally been the case. Summer temperatures have touched 43 degrees already, and humidity will add to the discomfort under lights.