Kolkata Knight Riders will host Kings XI Punjab in the first match of Super Sunday. Both the teams are coming back after convincing wins and seem to have found the rhythm they were lacking when the tournament began. The match will be held at Eden Gardens. Knight Riders defeated Rajasthan Royals in Kolkata just a few days back and will be confident going into this match.
The Eden Gardens pitch offered a lot to the spinners in the last match and it is expected to play in the same manner today as well. Kings XI will also be hoping to play the way they did in the last match where they defeated Pune Warriors convincingly. The team from Punjab have got their name up on the points table and will be looking to make up for the losses they suffered early in the tournament.
The match will be a very interesting to watch as both the teams have class players in their armory. Lets have a look at some of the players who can have an influence on the match.
Kings XI Punjab:
Adam Gilchrist: One can feel that an explosive innings from this devastating batsman is on its way. He has been a bit subdued in the previous matches and will be itching to get the monkey off his back. Gilchrist has always been a captain who has always led his team from the front, but unfortunately for the Kings he has not done it till now. Even the Kolkata crowd will want this great man to score some runs.
Shaun Marsh: He showed his class in the match winning innings that he played against the Warriors. Marsh shot to limelight after his performance for the Kings in the first edition of IPL and he has never looked back since then. He may have not made a mark for his national team but when it comes to IPL, there is no substitute for him. He is a very good player against spin bowling and can be very dangerous on the slow Kolkata pitch.
Piyush Chawla: He is an attacking leg-spinner and will love to bowl on the Eden Gardens pitch. He is dangerous when the ball is turning and has a very deceptive googly. Chawla will be a very important man for the Kings XI when they take on the Knight Riders.
Harmeet Singh: He has been a consistent performer for Kings XI in this season. He plays a crucial role in the middle overs as he has the ability to put a stranglehold on the batsmen. He is a stump-to-stump kind of a bowler and thrives on the conditions where the ball grips. He can be quite effective with the cutters he bowls.
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Manvinder Bisla: He contributed in both the matches the Knight Riders have won in IPL-5. Bisla is a naturally attacking batsman and can be dangerous during the field restriction. He times the ball really well and can clear any boundary line.
Gautam Gambhir: Gambhir will be ruing the way he ran himself out in the match against the Royals and will look to lead his side from the front this time around. He is a tremendous player of spin bowling and can play some big shots.
Shakib Al Hasan: Man-of-the-match from the previous match, Shakib will go into this match with tremendous confidence. He bowled beautifully in the last match and will be looking to do the same. His six came very handy in the run-chase and made things simpler for other players. Shakib has already said that he feels at home whenever he plays at the Eden Gardens and the fans will expect the same match-winning effort from this talented man.
Sunil Narine: The mystery bowler from West Indies outfoxed all the Royals batsmen. He conceded only three runs in the penultimate over and that restricted the Royals to a meager total. Narine will once again be expected to bowl with the same consistency. He has the ability to get wickets at crucial times and is very effective in the death overs.
By Gaurav Jha
Indian Sports News