The clash between two in form teams awaits the fans in the match number 30 of this year’s Indian Premiere League season 10. The Rising Pune Supergaint will take on the consistent Kolkata Knight Riders at Maharashtra Cricket Association stadium in Pune on Wednesday.
As the teams gear up for this battle, we bring before you the players to watch out for Raising Pune Supergaint and Kolkata Knight Riders –
Raising Pune Supergaint
Steve Smith – The skipper has been scoring well but he needs to score big and be consistent. After getting starts, he hasn’t converted them into some big ones. At number 3 position, RPS will need their captain to fire against formidable bowling line up of KKR
Manoj Tiwari – The youngster has got a lot of praise from cricket experts for his good knocks lower down the order. Now it’s time to bring Manoj Tiwari up the batting order. Tiwari has been be in good form for RPS and against KKR, the team will need him to face maximum balls and score more runs. In the current RPS team, Tiwari has been the most underrated cricketer. He should bat at number 5 instead of struggling all rounder Ben Stokes.
Jaydev Undkat – He was expensive on Monday night against Mumbai Indians. But the wickets of skipper Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya changed the game in his team’s favour. He needs to deliver against KKR as well because they have got a strong batting line up in and KKR batsmen play spin well.
Imran Tahir – The number 1 T20 bowler is player to watch out for RPS. His bowling spell is crucial against KKR. If he opens the bowling it will be interesting to see what ploy he will use to stop KKR opener Sunil Narine who has shown good batting skills too.
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Sunil Narine - The attention from the mystery bowler has been shifted to an aggressive opening batsman. In the match against Gujarat Lions he was too expensive. He conceded 42 runs in his 4 overs. That’s where the KKR lost the match. The team can’t afford to ignore his bowling skills for his batting. Robin Uthappa is the man to replace Sunil Narnie as an opener. KKR will find it difficult to beat RPS if Narine leaks runs.
Umesh Yadav - The bowler who played a huge role to bowl out RCB for lowest score of 49 in IPL. His three wickets rattled the opposition. Against RPS too, Gambhir will be hoping Umesh Yadav to deliver the same punch.
Shakib Al Hasan – The number 1 all rounder is waiting to make a mark when his turn will arrive. Former Bangladesh skipper has been the player to watch out for in the format like T20. Like ODIs, 20 over format suits him the most. Shakib has been a star T20 all rounder for Bangladesh and as well as Kolkata Knight Riders over the years.
Chris Woakes – KKR has a powerful bowling attack and players like Chris Woakes proved it right. The England fast bowler has been doing a tremendous job for his team. He was the 2nd player to take three wickets against RCB. His bowling spell and hard hitting ability has helped KKR in this season. Against RPS he is the player who can stop the flow of runs with the new ball and in the death overs