IPL 10, Match 11, KKR v KXIP - Kings XI Punjab Predicted XI

The Kings XI Punjab are all set to play their first away game of the season. They will be up against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Surely, the home support for the Knights would be intimidating for the visiting Kings side. However, given the form that they have been in the tournament thus far, will give them a lot of confidence taking on the KKR.

Kings XI Punjab have managed to win their first two matches of the season. This is only the second time in the history of the IPL that the KXIP team has managed to win their first two matches in a season. The last time they did so was back in the 2014 edition. What they ended up doing in the season remains to be a piece of history. They were unstoppable in the season and had finished in the finals of the season.

The Kings were unlucky to have missed out on the finals though. Now, getting back to the game on hand, the Kings would know that the Knights have been hurt by their defeat against the Mumbai Indians. Also, they have been jolted by the injury to their ace player Chris Lynn. However, at the same time, they have the likes of Shakib Al Hasan and Umesh Yadav raring to get a go.

Considering the opposition strengths and weaknesses, combined with their own plans, the Kings XI Punjab will try to put their best possible starting eleven in the match. Very few changes are likely to be made and here is the KXIP Predicted XI for the KKR v KXIP encounter:

Openers (Manan Vohra and Hashim Amla)

The opening seems to be in very safe hands for the Kings at the moment. In both the matches of the season, they have got off to a very good start. The new combination of Manan Vohra and Hashim Amla has been able to get runs in the powerplay. Vohra has been one of the most underused players of very high potential in the KXIP camp. This year, he has been promoted up the order and the stylish batsman is making the most of it.

However, he is throwing it away after getting decent starts. He needs to convert his good starts to big scores to help more to the team’s cause. On the other hand, there is vastly experienced Hashim Amla. Amla takes his time to settle in and then shows his class with the bat. He has been one of those few players who has the ability to score quick runs with all proper cricketing shots. He scored an unbeaten fifty against the Royal Challengers to guide KXIP to their second win this season.

Top order (Axar Patel, Glenn Maxwell)

Axar Patel has been a surprise promotion in the batting order of the Kings. He has been promoted at the number three slot in the first two matches. The management believes he can up the scoring rate with his pinch hitting prowess. The move has not quite clicked yet but it is very unlikely that the management will tinker with the experiment.

The Kings XI Punjab then have the services of their skipper Glenn Maxwell. Maxwell has remained unbeaten in the two matches this season thus far. He has seen the team hit the winning runs and has been great as a captain. Also, he has shown exemplary hitting skills that show he is back to the same sublime form that he was in a couple of seasons ago.

Middle order (David Miller, Marcus Stoinis, Wriddhiman Saha)

The middle order for the Kings XI is yet to be tested in the tournament. Their top order has done bulk of the scoring. David Miller got his opportunity to bat in the match against the Rising Pune Supergiant. He did a reasonably good job in the match as he played the second fiddle to Glenn Maxwell in the match. Marcus Stoinis, the Australian all-rounder, has not got his opportunity to show his batting might.

The all-rounder is capable of using the long handle to good use though. Recently, during the Chappell Hadlee series earlier this year, Stoinis had stunned the opposition side New Zealand with his whirlwind ton in an ODI fixture. Next in line is Wriddhiman Saha, who has been in top form in the long domestic season of India.

Also, he was among the run scorers during the famed grand home season of Indian Test cricket this year. He will be keen on translating his form of the longer format to the shortest one. He is renowned player in T20 cricket and has an IPL ton to his name as well

Bowlers (Mohit Sharma, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan, Varun Aaron)

The Kings do not boast of an overseas bowling might. They have a very good bunch of young Indian bowlers who are more than just capable of containing the runs. Sandeep Sharma is a brilliant swing component for the team with the new ball. He was the leading bowler for the team in the previous edition of the IPL.

Mohit Sharma has been decent with the new ball too and is the most experienced bowler in the line up. His ability to bowl slower ones to perfection in the death overs make him a key asset for the team.

Young recruit T Natarajan is India’s homegrown answer to Mustafizur Rahman. He has the ability to bowl off cutters with guile and precision in the middle overs and has impressed in the limited opportunities that he has got thus far in his short career.

The newest addition to the roster, Varun Aaron, made his debut for the Kings XI Punjab in the previous game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He finished as the pick of the bowlers with 2 wickets to his name. More importantly, he was very economical in his spell and gave runs at less than 6 per over.