CHENNAI: A high flying Kings XI Punjab will take on a resurgent Kolkata Knight Riders side as the two sides meet in a crucial mid-table encounter at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday. While Kolkata are fourth in the table, Punjab are right on their heels in fifth position with just two points separating the two sides.
Having won four on the bounce, KL Rahul's men would be high on confidence and a win against Kolkata could help them get firmly in contention for qualification. A win for Kolkata on the other hand will help put some distance between themselves and the teams below them and a win is crucial for both sides as the tournament is starting to enter the business end.
Kings XI Punjab are arguably the most in-form team in the league right now. After slumping to a run of five defeats in a row, they managed to go on an incredible winning run that saw them win four matches in a row to keep their qualification chances alive.
In the last match, they even managed to defend a paltry 126 against Sunrisers Hyderabad which showed the improvements they have made as a unit. One of the biggest changes for the Punjab outfit has been their efficiency with the ball in the death overs.
Despite defending a low total, they managed to choke Hyderabad and snatch an improbable win. They took five wickets in the last two overs of the game to seal a 12-run win. When it comes to batting, the presence of Chris Gayle has been inspiring for the side. Ever since Gayle has been in the team, they have not lost a single game.
The only concern would be the form of Glen Maxwell who has failed to hit even a six in this edition of the IPL. As for Kolkata Knight Riders, they have been largely an unpredictable outfit.
After being thrashed by Royal Challengers Bangalore, they roared back to life against Delhi Capitals. gainst one of the most in form sides, they won by an impressive 59 runs with spinner Varun Chakravarthy picking up five wickets.
The batting is an area of concern and although Nitish Rana and Sunil Narine got the job done for them against Delhi, other batsmen failed to make an impact. KKR have been inconsistent to say the least but they have managed to win at crucial moments which sees them sitting in fourth place.
However, their position in the table is under threat from the likes of Kings XI and Rajasthan Royals who are picking up steam at the right time and Kolkata will have to face these two in their last three matches. The result of this match will have a huge bearing on which team finishes among the play-off spots as an exciting clash is on the cards.