Published: Apr 17, 2016, 01:33 AM (IST)
Edited: Apr 17, 2016, 11:21 AM (IST)
Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) having suffered back to back defeats in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016 will be keen to comeback to winning ways. The ninth edition of IPL has been cruel to the 2014 semi-finalists KXIP, portraying to be a strong side after the appointment of David Miller as their captain. KXIP has been dependent on the international trio of Miller, Glen Maxwell and Mitchell Johnson to take the lead from front, unfortunately disappointing their side and thus causing defeat. Vishal Mehra lists below the probable XI that KXIP might field against a strong and formidable Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS). FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Kings XI Punjab vs Rising Pune Supergiants, IPL 2016, Match 10 at Mohali
Opening Order: KXIP have been fortunate in this department with the openers Murali Vijay and Manan Vohra, performing in both their matches respectively. Vijay was the top scorer for the team in their first match against Gujarat Lions, while Vohra was resilient in his innings against KXIP. Vijay was unfortunate to be run-out in the last game and will want to take his time before risking his wicket. Australia’s Shaun Marsh will hope for a better outing this time around. Shaun could be given a levy for his no show, after missing the first match due to stomach infection.
Middle Order: This has been a major performance for the KXIP with all their major batsmen failing including skipper Miller and Big Show Maxwell. Miller has looked to be in complete out-of-form since WT20, where as Maxwell did show glimpses of his brilliance during the WT20 event. Given the fact that Marcus Stoinis performed well with the bat in the KXIP first match, the management might be also be tempted to play him in place of Maxwell. KXIP is highly dependent on both these players to propel their innings to an above par score. Wriddhiman Saha has also been one of the most disappointing player so far, proving to be a failure in consecutive matches. Akshar Patel who has been a miss and hit so far will continue to come in as a pitch hitter for them.
Bowling Order: The ineffectiveness of Johnson has clearly looked as one of the most glaring holes in the KXIP attack. Miller will surely be looking to bring in Kyle Abbott into the side, who has been bowling well in Indian conditions. Abbott has also been playing more cricket adding to the advantage of KXIP and will surely be more match fit than Johnson. Spinning department will be handled by Pardeep Sahu and Patel who did manage to get a hold over the scoring rate of the batsmen. KXIP will expect a lot more from Mohit Sharma this time around, after all he is most experienced of Indian bowlers in the team. Sandeep Sharma will be hoping to relive his old 2014-15 form where he was devastating in the final/ death overs.
Kings XI’ Punjab’s likely XI: David Miller (c), Murali Vijay, Manan Vohra, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell / Marcus Stoinis, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Akshar Patel, Kyle Abbott, Pardeep Sahu, Mohit Sharma, Sandeep Sharma
(Vishal Mehra is a reporter at CricketCountry, who enjoys his weekly dose of anime, and plays cricket once a white moon. His twitter handle is @vishal_oxyjinn.)
