Winless Kolkata Knight Riders are gearing up to take on red-hot Punjab Kings in match 12 of the ongoing Indian Premier League on Monday at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The season so far for Kolkata Knight Riders has been incredibly frustrating. They have got runs, but the ability to dictate the tempo of matches and go all the way has remained elusive. One of the brightest sparks in their campaign has been Angkrish Raghuvanshi.
The youngster has been in sublime form with consecutive half-centuries. However, even his performances haven’t been without hiccups. Two run-outs in the previous game pointed to a lack of clarity and communication in pressure moments. At the top of the order, Finn Allen has been explosive, giving KKR flying starts. The inconsistency continues with captain Ajinkya Rahane. In the first match, he played beautifully, anchoring the innings with confidence.
But, in the next, he struggled to find rhythm. Meanwhile, Rinku Singh has looked fluent but hasn’t yet produced the kind of decisive knock. Meanwhile, their bowling unit has been a bigger concern as they have been unable to contain the opposition batters. Varun Chakaravarthy too hasn’t hit the straps yet. Much was expected from Cameron Green, but the high-profile signing has yet to make an impact.
On the other hand, Punjab Kings are riding high on confidence. The Australian contingent, Marcus Stoinis, Cooper Connolly, and Bartlett, has been impactful. Marco Jansen has further strengthened the side with his dual ability to help the team with both bat and ball. At the top, Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya have been in blistering form.
Head-to-head
Matches - 35
KKR won - 21
PBKS won - 13
Kolkata Knight Riders probable XII: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Navdeep Saini, Varun Chakravarthy, Blessing Muzarabani, Kartik Tyagi
Punjab Kings probable XII: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal