With its place already confirmed in the semifinals, Kings XI Punjab can afford to approach its final Oppo Champions League T20 group ‘B’ match against the Cape Cobras with ease. For the South African team, though, it’s another must-win encounter.
In fairness, it’s unlikely that the Cobras will play a side lacking intensity. KXIP, irrespective of the significance of the contest, is rarely found wanting when it comes to effort and focus. The cricketers at the host’s disposal set high standards for themselves and match them more often than not.
Youngsters like Manan Vohra, Axar Patel, Karanveer Singh have seemingly blended well into this culture of success. After years of frustration, KXIP has discovered steadiness in its performances.
Vohra shone with a 65 against Northern Knights on Friday and fielding coach R. Sridhar had kind words for the young batsman.
“Manan understands that cricket is a game of failures. You tend to fail more often than you succeed. Even if you look at some of the best batsmen in the world, they tend to succeed only once out of three games. How you handle your failure determines your success and your consistency. I think Manan is beginning to understand himself better now than he did earlier,” Sridhar said.
One could say the same about Cobras as well, albeit in a different vein. The South African side has grown with every game in this tournament and the improvement has been a result of a greater understanding of its strengths and weakness. It was heart-warming to see little-known Sybrand Engelbrecht bowl the Super Over and win the match for his team on Friday.
The Cobras would’ve been left optimistic by Richard Levi and Hashim Amla’s displays against Barbados Tridents as well but more is required from the middle-order. Facing KXIP at its home will arguably be the Cobras’ toughest task in this competition and the latter will need all cylinders to fire.
Teams (from):
Kings XI Punjab: George Bailey, Thisara Perera, Mitchell Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, Akshar Rajesh Patel, Karanveer Singh, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Manan Vohra, Mandeep Singh, Rishi Dhawan, Virender Sehwag, Wriddhiman Saha, Anureet Singh, Parvinder Awana.
Cape Cobras: Hashim Amla, J P Duminy, Justin Kemp, Rory Kleinveldt, Charl Langeveldt, Richard Levi, Aviwe Mgijima, Justin Ontong, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Zakhele Qwabe, Omphile Ramela, Stiaan Van Zyl, Dane Vilas.
