Some teams have been looking a lot promising with their performance this season and some are just on the edge of it and still finding ways to make through. Kolkata looks a balanced side, winning 5 out off their 2 matches and taking the second position in the laegue table whereas Pune has suffered a lot though lately winning a few matches.
Now in the last two games, Pune seem to get back on the track as well. Dhoni gets into his real form in his last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, finishing it on the last ball and scoring a half-ton. They broke Mumbai Indians’ winning streak of six matches in the ongoing Indian Premier League, beating them by three runs in a close contest at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
Kolkata, on other hand, after an off day against Lions at Eden gets back in momentum against Royal Challengers Bangalore posing a threat to the team leading them to lowest IPL score in history.
OVERVIEW:
KKR: They have been consistent side winning both home matches and away ones too. The perfect teamwork is what can be learnt from each game they are playing. Either letting Narine open the innings or Manish Pandey in the middle or letting Nathan Coulter-Nile in a hand with the bowl is all working wonders for the franchise. They have been comfortable with both chasing and batting first in this edition.
RPS: Rising Pune Supergiant are slowly and steadily gaining back the momentum. Dhoni’s last match 61 came as a boon for the giants in their home game. In last days match in Wankhede too the excellent penultimate over death bowling by Stokes and last over thriller by Unadkat is really commendable.
VIEW ON THE THINK TANK
KKR: They have not changed much in past games except bringing Coulter-Nile instead of Boult in playing XI, that has absolutely worked. Also, the inclusion of Colin De Grandhomme in the squad has boosted them. Narine opening the innings with Gambhir is the effect equation and the team should move on with the present combination.
RPS: For RPS, their biggest weakness for this season has been their bowling and also the form of their star finisher MS Dhoni. In previous two games, they both looked bit sorted, as their bowling won them the game against RCB and MS Dhoni decimated Hyderabad alone. They are being witnessed to convert their weakness lately.
STRENGTH
KKR: Kolkata boast a plethora of talented Indian batsmen as apart from skipper Gambhir, the team also has Robin Uthappa, Yusuf Pathan, Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav in their ranks. Uthappa and Pathan have been proven match-winners on both the International and the IPL arena in the past, while youngsters like Pandey and Yadav are more than capable middle-order batsmen. Bowling loos like a dream . The best strength is that they have managed to stick together and make a dream work.
RPS: The RPS squad is filled with superstars who are capable of winning the match on their own. The likes of Steven Smith, MS Dhoni, Ben Stokes, Faf Du Plessis and Ajinkya Rahane can destroy any bowling line-up in the league at will. These players have done it all at the international level for a very long time now and also in the league in the past (barring Stokes) and it’s just a matter of time that they click in this edition of the league.IMran Tahir looks good with the ball and stokes too last match made it upto worth.
MATCH PREDICTION:
Predicting a t20 game is tough, as it is a topsy turvy journey, But looking on present scenario Kolkata gets an upperhand.
Kolkata would not love to loose a winning streak and enjoying their display, Pune would be looking to continue their form lately too. Both the skippers would be loking to bowl first and know the score to chase.
A total of 185 to 190 woud be good to defend.