Adaptability will be the key for teams in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 as the venues shift from Mumbai and Chennai to Ahmedabad and Delhi. Ahmedabad will play host to its first match of this IPL as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) meet Punjab Kings (PBKS) on 26 April.
Nothing seems to be going in favour of the KKR. Their top order has misfired; runs have dried up for Eoin Morgan; Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik have often arrived too late; and Pat Cummins has leaked far too many runs .
Morgan’s blueprint of success with his national side has not quite worked so far in the tournament. If anything, the team, at times, has been the antithesis to the brand of cricket Morgan and head coach Brendon McCullum are known for.
A solitary victory in five matches has left them in tatters. There have been a few terrific performances over the campaign, but the team is yet to perform as a whole. Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana’s overcautious approach has come to bite them in the latter stages of the game. Against Rajasthan Royals, the duo could only add 24 runs in 5.4 overs of the Powerplay, leaving too much of catching-up for the rest of the batters.
Rahul Tripathi has not had an impactful performance so far, but has shown a sense of urgency and aggression that their openers have lacked. Promoting him in place of Nitish Rana makes sense.
After suffering a hat-trick of defeats, Punjab Kings finally turned things around with a nine-wicket win against the defending champion Mumbai Indians. There will be a few tweakings here and there, but the batting department has been sealed for now. Nicholas Pooran has got three ducks in four innings, but he is likely to retain his position.
Shahrukh Khan has bailed them out of the collapse and led PBKS to fighting totals on multiple occasions. His presence has added a shade of reliability and depth to their attack.
Ravi Bishnoi has sealed his place after returning 2-21 against MI. Jhye Richardson may replace Fabian Allen in the starting line-up depending on the pitch. Other than that, PBKS would not prefer any other changes.
Head to head
Kolkata Knight Riders have won 18 matches while Punjab King has won 9.
Key Players
Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders): Russell has aggregated over 250 runs against Punjab. If KKR gets a decent start, he may come a bit earlier and make his presence felt with his otherworldly hitting prowess.
Jhye Richardson (Punjab Kings): In the recently concluded T20I series against England, the Indian batters had a tough time dealing with serious pace. Richardson has not quite left a mark yet but he can be a handy tool for PBKS against KKR.
Likely XIs
Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Moises Henriques, Shahrukh Khan, Jhye Richardson, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Harbhajan Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Mavi
Prediction:
Kolkata Knight Riders to prevail over Punjab Kings.