Rising Pune Supergiants, touted as one of the favourites to lift the trophy, have faltered after winning the tournament opener against Mumbai Indians. The M.S. Dhoni side, among the teams with big overseas recruits, haven’t quite lived up to expectations of many. Its star-studded batting line-up, especially the middle and lower middle order, hasn’t clicked yet. There have been individual batting and bowling performances that have helped the side but very little to back that effort and help the team cross the line.
Openers Ajinkya Rahane and Francois du Plessis have got them off to decent starts this season, and are the top scorers for the team. Kevin Pietersen, one of RPS’ high-profile foreign recruits, has confirmed that he would not take further part this season due to a calf injury. And Steven Smith, who’s had an ordinary campaign so far, will have a point to prove — he’s scored only 47 in the three innings he’s got to play.
With Thisara Perera finding form in his last match, there’s every possibility that skipper Dhoni might send the Sri Lankan up the order to take advantage of the mandatory field restrictions.
Murugan Ashwin’s had a mixed affair so far — he was close to getting the Purple Cap against Kings XI but got hammered by Virat and co. in his last match. This match presents itself as another opportunity for the leggie to become the top wicket taker and show his mettle. Pace spearhead Ishant Sharma hasn’t been penetrative this season and his failure to provide early strikes has contributed to RPS’ bad showing. R.P. Singh, who’s played only match this season, is likely to replace out-of-form Sharma.
Probable XI
Faf du Plessis, Ajinkya Rahane, Steven Smith, M.S. Dhoni, Mitchell Marsh, Thisara Perera, Rajat Bhatia, R. Ashwin, M. Ashwin, Ankit Sharma, Ishant Sharma
Kolkata Knight Riders have built their wins around captain Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa’s steady opening partnerships. They’ve put together 360 runs together, with individual strike rates of 120 and 127. There are reports doing that rounds that Manish Pandey might not play this match and the batsman is down with Chicken Pox. The others in the batting unit have had to do very little so far — they’ve made less than half of what these two have managed in the three innings. Andre Russell and Colin Munro will be itching to get to bat against RPS’ bowling.
Leggie Piyush Chawla and pacer Umesh Yadav have been Gambhir’s go-to men. The leggie has picked up 4 wickets at an economy rate of 7.25. Yadav’s pace and wicket-taking ability has ensured batsmen have not been able to run away with quick starts.
Probable XI
Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Suryakumar Yadav, Yusuf Pathan, Andre Russell, R.Satish, Shakib Al Hasan, Piyush Chawla, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Morne Morkel
