There is another double header of action in the Indian Premier League on Sunday and the first match is quite simply a huge game for the home side Kings XI Punjab. They take on the Rising Pune Supergiants in Mohali to get the day underway.
Kings XI Punjab
The home side have already lost their opening two matches in this tournament and a third defeat here would really have them up against it in terms of a place in the playoffs at the end of the season. It is hard to see them qualifying if they lose this.
The problem is they’ve yet to bat well for 20 overs in the tournament and they haven’t bowled particularly well and this isn’t the time to be settling for the right combinations and things. It would be surprising if they don’t make changes here though.
Rising Pune Supergiants
After demolishing the Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener the Supergiants were then edged out by the Gujarat Lions in their last match so they will be out to bounce back here. In fairness the Lions look a really strong outfit so I’m sure panic won’t have set in just yet.
If there is a concern for the Pune side going into this match it would be that their lower-middle order hasn’t contributed a great deal thus far and their seamers have been a little hit and miss at best as well so they might be forced into changes.
Team news
Kings XI simply have to change their combinations and try something out. I’d be surprised if Shaun Marsh doesn’t make it back to the top of the order but Mitchell Johnson and Glenn Maxwell are yet to offer anything of any note and they can only carry the two for so long.
Pune could tinker with their bowling attack but MS Dhoni is very reluctant to change anything at the best of times so those who failed against Gujarat Lions could get one last chance to prove themselves before changes become inevitable.
Form
Kings XI Punjab: LL
Rising Pune Supergiants: WL
Head to head: First meeting
Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium
This is the second match on this ground in the tournament so far. We know it is a good batting deck. We saw that in the T20 World Cup and we saw it again in the first IPL game here but the boundaries are big on this ground which does at least allow some sort of protection for the bowlers.
We might well see a mountain of runs but sixes don’t automatically flow on this ground because of the size of the boundaries and that is something to take into consideration when betting on the sixes markets in the match.
Betting
I fancy Pune here but they are too short for me to back. In my eyes they just have too many match winners with the bat and especially with the ball but you have to appreciate that if David Miller or Glenn Maxwell comes off they can win a game on their own in no time so rather than bet on the match I’ll head for the hills and the side markets.
Kevin Pietersen is quietly having a good IPL, if Kevin Pietersen can do anything quietly that is, and I fancy he’ll go well in this match. He has batted on this ground twice in IPL cricket and he has made 50 and more on both occasions so he likes it here.
We’ve seen all season so far how the Kings XI bowling has struggled and after Ajinkya Rahane and Faf du Plessis have potentially clattered it to all parts Pietersen can feast on a beaten opponent.
His fours line for this match is at 2.5 which although he hasn’t covered in the tournament to date he has faced two tight bowling attacks. He doesn’t face one of those here so I expect KP to get in and get some boundaries away while he is at the crease.
Tips
Back K.Pietersen – Over 2.5 fours for a 4/10 stake at 2.00 with Coral
Back him here:
