Considering their performance in the previous game, KKR had a good day out against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in an away tie, as they comfortably won the game by six wickets, while RPS gave a strong fight against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), only to be beaten at the final stages and lost the game by 13 runs. Nevertheless, this game promises to be a thriller as RPS aim to stay alive in the tournament, while KKR aim to extend their domination.
The bowling department are still a worry for RPS. Even in the previous game against RCB, it was another slow and weak performance, with Thisara Perera being the lone wolf in the side to dish out three wickets as he claimed the three crucial wickets of Virat Kohli (80), KL Rahul (7) and AB de Villiers (83). However, considering their batting, it was indeed a fair performance from most of the batsmen, as opener Ajinkya Rahane fired 60, along with MS Dhoni scoring 41 and Perera had a 13-ball cameo of 34.
KKR, on the other hand, had a fair start with the ball against KXIP. Morne Morkel claimed a couple for 27 followed by Sunil Narine, who finally struck, also claimed a couple for 22, while the other bowlers too contributed decently and claimed a wicket each, as they restricted KXIP to an average total of 138 for 8 in the 20 overs. Nonetheless, they never failed to fire with the bat as well, as the in-form openers Robin Uthappa played a steady knock of 53 and skipper Gautam Gambhir contributed decently with 34 runs, as KKR sailed to a comfortable six-wicket win.
Therefore, considering their performance in the previous games, although KKR could opt out from having changes in the side, RPS would definitely go for some changes, as Kevin Pietersen is most likely to miss out following a possible calf injury. The likely replacements can be either Mitchell Marsh or Albie Morkel. Ishant Sharma, who was expensive in the last tie, could be replaced by either of Ashok Dinda, Iswar Pandey, Deepak Chahar or Jaskaran Singh. With the game being played in Pune, it is most likely to assist the batsmen as runs are on the cards and expect this game to be a cracker, as the teams would definitely move in with a batting strong side.
Squads:
Rising Pune Supergiants: MS Dhoni (c & wk), Steven Smith, Faf du Plessis, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mitchell Marsh, Ashwin Murugan, Ishant Sharma, Kevin Pietersen, Irfan Pathan, Thisara Perera, Rajat Bhatia, Ashoke Dinda, Scott Boland, Peter Handscomb, RP Singh, Adam Zampa, Ishwar Pandey, Deepak Chahar, Jaskaran Singh, Baba Aparajith, Ankush Bains, Ankit Sharma.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (c), Kuldeep Yadav, Manish Pandey, Piyush Chawla, Robin Uthappa (wk), Sheldon Jackson, Suryakumar Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Yusuf Pathan, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Brad Hogg, Chris Lynn, Morne Morkel, Shakib Al Hasan. Jaydev Unadkat, Ankit Singh Rajpoot, John Hastings, Jason Holder, Colin Munro, Rajgopal Sathish, Manan Ajay Sharma.
Time: 20:00 IST | 14:30 GMT
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(Ayush Gupta is a reporter at CricketCountry. A passionate supporter of Manchester United, he idolises Roger Federer and is also a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) maniac. He can be followed on Twitter @Ayush24x7)
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