IPL 7 KXIP vs. KKR: The Key Areas of Battle

As the race for the qualifier spots warms up, we are seeing tighter and more intense matches than ever before. Every team is trying it’s best to claw their way into the top four slots of the table. In that context, today’s match between Punjab and Kolkata in Cuttack takes on a lot of importance. The Punjab team is sitting comfortably at the top of the table, with only 1 loss in their 8 games so far, and their qualification is almost assured. But Kolkata has been in patchy form all season, and find themselves stuck in mid table with only a few games left to go.

Looking at the form of the two teams going into this match, one team will definitely be considered favorites. Punjab has emerged as the dark horse of the tournament this year, heavily exceeding the expectations placed on their team. Now with over half the season gone and with several players in formidable form, Punjab have silenced their critics and won themselves a whole lot of new fans, and are within touching distance of qualifying for the playoffs.

Meanwhile Kolkata, a team of which a lot was expected, have been highly inconsistent this year. When they win, they win convincingly, but they then slump to a bad defeat in the very next game. They had in fact lost four matches in a row before their 8-wicket win over Delhi last week. As a result, they find themselves in fifth and face a tough battle for a qualification spot.

The last time these two teams met in the tournament was in Abu Dhabi, where the Kolkata bowlers did a tremendous job in silencing the Punjab big guns and restricting their in-form batting lineup to a very modest 132-9. However the lackluster Kolkata batsmen were unable to chase down this moderate target and some inspired bowling from Punjab saw them win the game by a 23-run margin. The spin duo of Piyush Chawla and Sunil Narine were instrumental in destroying the Punjab batting, taking 6 wickets between them. This was also the lowest score made by Punjab while batting first this tournament.

Both teams come into this match after winning their previous encounters. Punjab suffered a minor setback after losing to Mumbai, but recovered magnificently and have since defeated Chennai and Bangalore convincingly. Kolkata too won their last match in style against Delhi, with Gambhir and Uthappa leading them to a comfortable eight wicket win.

As regards this match, both teams will be looking for any advantage to give them the win over the opposition. Punjab obviously will be relying on one of their top order to fire. If any of Sehwag, Maxwell or Miller is allowed to settle down, they can change the course of a match in a couple of overs. Meanwhile Mandeep Singh and George Bailey are capable of playing valuable cameos and Mitchell Johnson and Saha lower down the order can do some lusty hitting at the death.

The Punjab bowling unit has also performed strongly so far, with Balaji, Akshar Patel and in particular Sandeep Sharma being very impressive. Mitchell Johnson is always a threat with the ball, and the success of youngster Shivam Sharma in the last game will give them hope about their spin department as well. Punjab is a strong all-round team and any team looking to beat them will have to do better in all departments than them.

The Kolkata team’s strength continues to be their bowling lineup. Their spinners in particular have been highly impressive, with a series of good performances which have helped Kolkata win games. Even when the team loses, there is at least one bowler who stands out with an eye-catching performance. Last time, Gambhir brought Piyush Chawla into the team for the Punjab game and the move paid off very well, so we can expect to see them starting with at least two frontline spinners today, with all-rounder Shakib al-Hasan also being a possibility if the pitch is spin-friendly.

But no matter how well the bowlers perform, the onus is on the batsmen to start firing for Kolkata. Last game was a big relief for them as skipper Gambhir finally showed some form, and along with Robin Uthappa, stitched together a game winning opening partnership of 106. Kolkata desperately need these two to make big contributions today as well, and it would be fair to say that the team’s chances depend on the opening stand they set up. Jacques Kallis, Yusuf Pathan, Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav all have the potential to play big shots at the end of the innings provided they get a good platform laid down for them to bat freely.

An aspect of the Punjab bowling that Kolkata might be looking to exploit is the high economy rate of most of their bowlers. Though at least one bowler performs every game, the rest usually go for quite a few runs. This has not really been a problem so far for Punjab since their batsmen are more than capable of setting and chasing high scores, but if Kolkata manage to get a big total of their own, they will back their bowling unit to defend it.

The toss and the state of the pitch will both be crucial factors in this match, since both teams will be looking at their batsmen to give them a large score to defend. Kolkata might look to win the toss and bat first, since that puts lesser pressure on their batsmen than a chase would. Also, the bowling attacks on display today have the potential to change the course of a game in a single good over. Like the last time these two teams met, expect a low scoring thriller that goes right down to the wire, unless one player is able to shine for his team. With the teams so closely matched, only one moment of brilliance might be what separates the winner from the loser in the end.