IPL 9 Match 28 Preview: Table toppers clash with the struggling King XI Punjab

Gujarat Lions will start out as the clear favorites when they clash with the sluggish Kings XI Punjab in their home ground Rajkot. The Lions have been very dominating in the tournament after having won 6 out of their 7 matches. Their confidence would have been further bolstered after their thumping win over RPS in their previous game. Kings XI Punjab, meanwhile, has only won just one game after having lost 5 games and are lying at the bottom of the table. Their condition in the tournament has been a sob story so far.

Gujarat Lions:

Lions have the best opening pair in Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith. Both are currently in blistering form; Lions’ run rate of 10.14 in the Powerplay is the best for any team in this year’s tournament. Dinesh Kartik is also doing reasonably well. Skipper Suresh Raina, has been wonderful, as a leader but he would want to make it count with the bat. Apart from the 75 run knock against Sunrisers, he hasn’t been able to score runs like he has done in the IPL in the past. All-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo have been very ordinary and must play with more intent. The Lions team would look more dominating if both get back to their natural rhythm. The bowling department looks sorted with Praveen Kumar and Dhawal Kulkarni doing their job wonderfully. India’s very own Paul Adams, Shivil Kaushik, who bagged his debut last game, will most likely keep his place. The highly unorthodox left arm chinaman impressed with his line and control.

Kings XI Punjab:

Kings XI Punjab has a baggage of problems weighing them down as of now. The big news from the camp is the change in the leadership. Murali Vijay has been named as the skipper of the side for the remainder of the season. Logically speaking, except Shaun Marsh, none of the batsmen has been consistent. Openers Manan Vohra and Murali Vijay looked solid initially but have been blowing hot and cold in recent games. Glenn Maxwell’s return to form with a half-century in the last game against Mumbai Indians is a good news. David Miller, without the extra responsibility of leadership, would anticipate a fresh start as a batsman. He would definitely be confident after his 17 balls 30 run knock in his last outing. Bowling attack looks to be more firm with Sandeep Sharma and Mohit Sharma giving satisfying performances. Axar Patel in the spin department has also been consistent so far.

Probable XI:

Kings XI Punjab:

Murali Vijay, Manan Vohra, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, Nikhil Naik, Axar Patel, Mitchell Johnson, Mohit Sharma, Pardeep Sahu, Sandeep Sharma

Gujarat Lions:

Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Kartik, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, James Faulkner, Ishan Kishan, Praveen Kumar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shivil Kaushik

Stats and trivia

• Gujarat Lions have plundered 72 runs in the Powerplay on two occasions, the highest by any team
• Glenn Maxwell’s 56 against Mumbai Indians was his first half-century in 35 T20 innings in India. In 34 innings, Maxwell had made 499 runs at 15.12.