Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab come off wins in their first games of the season against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals respectively. Kolkata play at Eden again where Andre Russell's heroics gave them a fantastic win while Punjab travel to another state for the second time in the season. The Ashwin-led unit came under scrutiny for the "Mankading" incident on Monday and will hope to rectify their poor record at Eden and against Kolkata.
The think-tank should opt for the inclusion of Andrew Tye in the King's XI line-up while Kolkata should be unchanged for this fixture. The trio of Kolkata spinners should once again be in the spotlight while Kings XI themselves have a handy array of tweakers at their disposal.
Conditions: Pace expected to do damage early on although a high scoring match is on the cards
Player Recommendations:
Wicket-keeper: Lokesh Rahul (10 credits)
Rahul had an off day in the first game of the season but with a World Cup spot in his reach, he should find his rhythm soon. The opener was in terrific form last season for Kings XI and was a huge force to reckon with in the powerplays. Technically strong, Rahul can thwart the Kolkata attack if he can find his feet early on.
Batsman: Chris Gayle (10 credits)
Rahul's partner and the incredible Chris Henry Gayle returns to Eden where he first began his IPL career. The marauding West Indian opener is a brilliant player once he gets
Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab come off wins in their first games of the season against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals respectively. Kolkata play at Eden again where Andre Russell's heroics gave them a fantastic win while Punjab travel to another state for the second time in the season. The Ashwin-led unit came under scrutiny for the "Mankading" incident on Monday and will hope to rectify their poor record at Eden and against Kolkata.
The think-tank should opt for the inclusion of Andrew Tye in the King's XI line-up while Kolkata should be unchanged for this fixture. The trio of Kolkata spinners should once again be in the spotlight while Kings XI themselves have a handy array of tweakers at their disposal.
Conditions: Pace expected to do damage early on although a high scoring match is on the cards
Player Recommendations:
Wicket-keeper: Lokesh Rahul (10 credits)
Rahul had an off day in the first game of the season but with a World Cup spot in his reach, he should find his rhythm soon. The opener was in terrific form last season for Kings XI and was a huge force to reckon with in the powerplays. Technically strong, Rahul can thwart the Kolkata attack if he can find his feet early on.
Batsman: Chris Gayle (10 credits)
Rahul's partner and the incredible Chris Henry Gayle returns to Eden where he first began his IPL career. The marauding West Indian opener is a brilliant player once he gets going and he showed much of that in the first game against Rajasthan. He has a shady record against Sunil Narine but should fire if he can get past his teammate.
All-rounder: Andre Russell (9.5credits)
That he is capable of hitting a half-century even if he comes with just five overs left in the innings makes Russell a top pick. He bowls in the powerplays and also at the death and is a great fantasy player to have in terms of giving points. After his onslaught against Sunrisers, expect Russell to be buoyed and confident and perhaps could even earn a promotion in the batting order.
Bowler: Ankit Rajpoot (8.5 credits)
An underrated seamer when conditions are in his favour, Ankit Rajpoot is a new ball bowler who could thrive at Eden, a ground he knows well having played there for Kolkata Knight Riders. The seamer can be destructive on his day and at Eden he is a great choice in the bowling department.
Captain: Andre Russell
Vice-captain: Lokesh Rahul
Predicted Playing XI:
Kolkata Knight Riders: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Lockie Ferguson
Kings XI Punjab: Chris Gayle, Lokesh Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Shadab Khan, Nicholas Pooran, Mandeep Singh, Sam Curran/David Miller, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Ankit Rajpoot, Mohammed Shami
