Kings XI Punjab won the toss and decided to field first against Kolkata Knight Riders in the eighteenth match of the Indian Premier League at the Eden Gardens Kolkata.
Here is what the captains said:
Dinesh Karthik:
“We would’ve bowled first as well. Looks a good wicket and it will remain same. We have made no changes. It’s been a good start and it’s important we stay consistent.”
Ravichandran Ashwin:
“We are going to bowl first. This is sort of a fortess for KKR and we will try to restrict them to a decent total. We have got one change. Mohit Sharma goes out and Ankit Rajpoot comes in.”
Preview:
With both the teams in red-hot form, the upcoming contest is set to be a thrilling game. Both the teams started the season on a winning note before losing their following game. But while Kings XI Punjab returned back to winning ways in the following game, the Knight Riders suffered another defeat before winning their next two games.
The Knight Riders thrashed Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals to send out a statement of intent. However, they will have their task cut out against the high flying Kings XI Punjab.
The confidence of the visitors will be sky high following their impressive performance in the last two games. After losing to Royal Challengers Bangalore, they beat Chennai Super Kings before thrashing Sunrisers Hyderabad to prove their title credentials.
Playing elevens:
Kings XI Punjab:
Lokesh Rahul(w), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Aaron Finch, Yuvraj Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Barinder Sran, Ankit Rajpoot, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Tom Curran, Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav