INDORE: Indian Premier League (IPL) returns to Indore for the first time since 2011 as Kings XI Punjab take on Rising Pune Supergiant, who started their campaign with a win against Mumbai Indians, at the 30,000-seater Holkar Stadium here on Saturday.
With temperatures soaring to 36 degrees, Kings XI captain Glen Maxwell, captaining a side for the first time in his career, won the toss and decided to sent out the visiting side to bat first.
"We are going to bowl as the wicket seems flat just like the practice wickets. We would like to chase," said Maxwell. "We played a couple of practice games and has learnt a lot about the wicket," he said.
Kings XI go into the match with Hashim Amla, David Miller, Marcus Stoinis and Maxwell as their four foreigners. Meanwhile, Pune made two changes to the side that won their opening match as Rahul Chahar came in for his brother Deepak, and Dan Christian replaced Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa.
"We would have had a bowl as well. It looks like the wicket will be consistent for the full 40 overs. From the previous game, we felt we timed our chase nicely but we'd like to execute our bowling better," said Rising Pune Supergiant captain Steve Smith.
While Kings XI were the visitors here to face the now defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the 2011 season, they have named Indore as one their home grounds in IPL 10 alongside Mohali and will play three matches in the city.
With a new home ground and a new captain, the team that finished bottom of the table in both the previous IPL seasons will be hoping to get their new campaign off to a winning start. With short boundaries and a wicket that helps batsmen, a high-scoring encounter is on the cards.