IPL 10, Match 41, KKR v RPS: Rising Pune Supergiant Predicted XI

The Rising Pune Supergiant seem to be on a dream run. A week ago, it looked as if the season was nothing but a repeat show of the previous edition for them. After having started off with a win, they lost a couple of games that saw their form dwindle. Now, they find themselves in a commanding position in the race to the playoffs. With 12 points to their name in 10 matches, they need to win two more games to make it to the playoffs.

Rising Pune Supergiant have won 5 out of their last 6 matches and that is a testimony of the brand of the cricket they have been playing. They broke the winning streak of the Mumbai Indians and recently crushed the Gujarat Lions at their home venue in Pune. As the tournament has progressed, their players seem to be peaking at the right time. Every match, they have found a new hero coming to the fore.

All-rounder Ben Stokes was the star of the show in their most recent encounter. Now, the RPS team have a tough task ahead of them. They will be locking horns with the Kolkata Knight Riders at the den of the Knight Riders – Eden Gardens. RPS are yet to register a win against the Knight Riders in the history of the tournament. Hence, coming into the match, they would want to put forth their best combination for this opposition.

Here is the Rising Pune Supergiant Predicted XI for the KKR v RPS encounter:

Openers (Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Tripathi)

RPS openers Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul Tripathi have been doing a decent job for the franchise in the tournament thus far. The form of Tripathi seems to be ominous. It is the form of the senior partner, Ajinkya Rahane, that has been a worrying concern at the moment. Rahane started off with a fifty in the tournament but a string of low scores followed in the next fixtures.

He then seemed to have been back to form with a couple of decent scores too. However, the last match saw him get dismissed for a single digit score. The inconsistency has been the prime concern for Rahane. On the other hand, Rahul Tripathi has constantly been getting starts. He has been instrumental in taking on the opposition bowlers in the powerplay. With a fifty to his name in addition to multiple 30s, Tripathi is a certain starter in the lineup.

Middle order (Steve Smith, Manoj Tiwary, MS Dhoni)

The RPS opening has been a decent one but the middle-order has not been very dependable. Time and again, the camp has seen one player stand out among the rest to play the saving grace for them. Now, the team would want all their aces to fire at the same time. Steve Smith has been a decent performer but is due for a big score in the recent times.

Manoj Tiwary has perhaps been the most underrated player in the Rising Pune Supergiant. In the last couple of matches, Tiwary has been promoted up the order to number 4 ahead of the likes of Ben Stokes and MS Dhoni. He responded well in the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore with a score of unbeaten 44 to his name. However, in the previous fixture against Gujarat Lions, he failed to open his account.

MS Dhoni has constantly been under the scanner for the stature he holds in the team. Dhoni silenced all his critics when he had smashed an unbeaten 61 in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Since then, he has not quite been able to replicate his heroics. In the previous game, he batted with a strike rate less than 80 which had raised a few eyebrows.

All-rounders (Ben Stokes, Dan Christian, Washington Sundar)

Ben Stokes proved every bit of the price tag he is carrying with a thunderous unbeaten ton in the last match for RPS. He might not have been the most consistent batsman in the season thus far, but has always contributed with his bowling in the previous fixtures. He was seen struggling with cramps in the previous match but is expected to be back for the match against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Washington Sundar is primarily a batsman. However, the has been using him more as a bowler. He has responded well in the tournament in the limited matches that he has played. He bowled in the powerplay in the previous game and had conceded only 1 run in the over.

The position of Dan Christian in the lineup has constantly been questioned by the critics. Neither does he get his full quota of four overs to bowl, nor does he get the opportunity to bat in the higher order. But as skipper Steve Smith rightly reflected, the hard hitting ability of Christian works in his favor in the lower middle order. Moreover, he can cover up the quota of the fifth bowler if a regular bowler has an off day.

Bowlers (Imran Tahir, Jaydev Unadkat, Shardul Thakur)

Imran Tahir has arguably been the best bowler for Rising Pune Supergiant in the season thus far. He has 16 wickets to his name in the season and is serious contender for the Purple Cap. Tahir picked up three wickets in the previous game and is a fixed member in the playing eleven for the team.

Jaydev Unadkat has bowled well up front. The lack of pace in his bowling works in his favor as he ends up with clinical bowling in the death overs. The captain trusts him in crunch situations and the bowler has been responding well in crunch situations.

The team might ponder roping in Deepak Chahar for Shardul Thakur but end up sticking with Thakur eventually. The form that Thakur has been in, is a clear positive for the team. He has not been the most successful bowler when it comes to containing the run flow. But Shardul has been very successful in being the wicket taking option for his captain.