IPL 9, Match 20 Preview: Supergiants aiming to derail Knight Riders

The Rising Pune Supergiants have had a pretty ordinary IPL 9 season thus far. However, their opponent on the day, the Kolkata Knight Riders have been in sublime form thus far. As these two contrasting teams meet in the IPL, the outcome most definitely remains uncertain. That said, what isn’t certainly uncertain is the fact that it will be an exciting match to watch nonetheless. Moreover, it will also be an encounter of sorts between two of the greatest servants of Indian cricket.

Team News

Rising Pune Supergiants:

The Rising Pune Supergiants are in unchartered waters at the moment. Apart from a win in their opening encounter, MS Dhoni and his band of merry men have been on the wrong end of the results in their previous three matches. Therefore, apart from a wild hope of putting an end to the winning streak of the KKR juggernaut, they will be hoping to turn the tide.

Apart from the injury to Kevin Pietersen that has seen the Englishman ruled out of the tournament, Ishant Sharma’s form has been something for Dhoni and the RPS management to ponder. The lanky pacer, who was expected to be the no.1 pacer for the Supergiants has found himself in a bad slump. He is likely to be replaced by left-arm pacer RP Singh. Dhoni would also want to add another allrounder in place of KP and that might give Albie Morkel his debut for the team.

Kolkata Knight Riders:

All seems well in the KKR camp. The Gautam Gambhir led team is on a roll and also on top of the IPL 9 table. The opening pair of Gambhir and Uthappa has killed off bowling attacks with their sublime skill as well as longevity of staying in the middle for a bigger period of time. Andre Russell’s variations with the ball as well as his big hitting towards the death of the innings have made him an absolutely invaluable asset for the Knight Riders.

However, despite all of that, the spotlight is fixed on Piyush Chawla. The latter has been somewhat of the ‘silent killer’ for his side, especially with his ability to take wickets at the right time. In addition, his ability to beat players with his flight and googly makes him yet another invaluable addition to the Knight Riders’ side.

Probable XI-

Rising Pune Supergiants:

MS Dhoni (C/wk), Ajinkya Rahane, Faf du Plessis, Steve Smith, Mitchell Marsh/Albie Morkel, Thisara Perera, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ankit Sharma, Murugan Ashwin/Rajat Bhatia, Irfan Pathan, RP Singh

Kolkata Knight Riders:

Gautam Gambhir (C), Robin Uthappa (wk), Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Morne Morkel, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav

StAttack

1. Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa have counted for almost 66% of the runs scored by the Kolkata Knight Riders. The duo also has stitched three 50+ stands in three wins.

2. The Knight Riders have a batting average of 47.47 and a bowling average of 19.50, the best in the tournament thus far.

3. The Rising Pune Supergiants are one of three teams to win a match after losing the toss.