Pune Warriors India will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune on Thursday. Both the teams are nearly out from the race of qualifying for the play-offs but a win under their belt would be a morale-booster for them. With the likes of Gautam Gambhir and Jacques Kallis in the top order, KKR would be looking to make it count but PWI have a pace attack of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Wayne Parnell, who are looking in good rhythm, and have the ability to stop the KKR onslaught. Meanwhile Aaron Finch and Robin Uthappa have been in brilliant touch in last few matches and would be looking to give their fans a reason to celebrate by notching up victory against KKR.
Here we bring to you the players to watch out for in the match between Pune Warriors India (PWI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Pune warriors India (PWI)
Aaron Finch: Finch has been in sensational form this season and would be looking to piling up some runs with Robin Uthappa who had been complimenting him really well in IPL-6. He needs to work on his captaincy, which has been pretty ordinary till now.
Robin Uthappa: With few good knocks under his belt, Robin has been looking pretty dangerous. He can make a world of difference with his cracking batting. With Aaron Finch on other side, it gives him a chance to settle down easily and keep the run-rate ticking.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: Bhuvneshwar has been the best bowler for PWI so far and with his good form he would be looking to bag some wickets too. His accuracy with the slower ones has been his strength till now and if he continues to do so then KKR would have a hard time facing him.
Wayne Parnell: Parnell was extra-ordinary with the ball in the last match as he picked up three wickets in his debut match of IPL. He along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar can be very lethal in the initial overs.
Yuvraj Singh: Yuvraj has been under used as a bowler this season. He has not been in great form with the bat so far but against KKR medium pacers, he would be looking to unleash himself and prove his point.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Yusuf Pathan: Pathan has played just one good innings till now and would be looking to make it count against Pune Warriors. His inconsistency in the middle-order has hurt KKR quite badly in IPL-6.
Gautam Gambhir: He has not been in good touch since the last few games. With only few matches of left in this season of IPL, he would be looking to finish it on a high note. His captaincy skill has been very ordinary in IPL-6 and he needs to work on it.
Jacques Kallis: Kallis has not been able to put up a strong performance as was expected from a player of his calibre. But with the fragile bowling of Pune Warriors, he would be looking to contribute with his bat for KKR today. He has been in and out of form this season and this is a big worry for KKR.
Lakshmipathy Balaji: Balaji was absolutely brilliant against Mumbai Indians as he bowled his three overs for just seven runs. But more than often he has been off-colour this season and would like to come up good with the ball against PWI.
Sunil Narine: Narine’s mystery hasn’t been that effective as it was last season. He was smacked for 29 runs in his four overs and he failed to pick up any wicket against Mumbai Indians. He has picked up his wickets mostly against weak opponents or inexperienced batsmen.
By Amit Chopra
Indian Sports News Network