Indian Premier League 2019 Match 52, Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Preview, likely XIs, predictions

It’s the endgame now. And no, we’re not talking about the final instalment of the Avengers series – we’re talking of the business end of IPL 2019, where Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders clash on Friday, May 3, knowing anything less than victory will severely dent their hopes of making something of this season.

The teams are neck and neck in the battle for the fourth spot. They’ve both played 12 matches, and are tied on 10 points. Their net run-rates are only marginally different – Kolkata have 0.1 and Punjab -0.296. In their last clash – back in March – an Andre Russell special helped Kolkata through. Punjab will have to be wary of that again.

Russell hasn’t slowed down one bit. Kolkata’s slump happened despite him. And after some soul-searching, Kolkata finally seemed to find the right combination last time around, when they saw off high-flying Mumbai Indians by 34 runs.

Punjab, meanwhile, have lost 3 straight matches – from being one of the favourites to make the Playoffs, this lean streak has put their campaign at real risk of fading away. R Ashwin and the think-tank have some work to do – their primary problem is imbalance.

They are missing a few quality all-rounders. But does that mean KL Rahul continues to take it slow at the top? It’s a risky strategy and it didn’t work against Sunrisers Hyderabad. It likely won’t work against Kolkata, with Russell in the form he is in.

This should be interesting.

Head to head

Punjab and Kolkata have clashed 24 times in IPL history. Owing to Punjab’s poor performances in previous campaigns, the record is drastically in favour of the two-time champions Kolkata – they’ve won 16 to Punjab’s 8. Will this time be any different?

Key players

KL Rahul (Kings XI Punjab): Rahul’s role is key for Punjab. He is a versatile batsman, and as the second-highest scorer in the league, his wicket will be crucial. However, his runs have come at a poor strike-rate, and it will be interesting to see if, after the last failed attempt, Rahul will attempt to do that again.

Shubman Gill (Kolkata Knight Riders): The youngster started in his preferred position for a second consecutive game at long last, and his ballistic half-century set things up for Kolkata against Mumbai. Gill’s timing and technique are exquisite, and he uses that to make up for a lack of power. Punjab will need to be wary.

Likely XIs

Kings XI Punjab: KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran (wk), David Miller, P Simran Singh, R Ashwin (c), Murugan Ashwin, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Shubman Gill, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Piyush Chawla, Harry Gurney, Sandeep Warrier.

Prediction

Kolkata have better balance, and just might sneak this.