Kings set to defend fortress against Riders in crucial tie

Sitting in the middle of the points’ table, both Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders will lock horns in a crucial Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on April 15.

So far, both teams have won three matches each. While Riders have played six, Kings have completed five in the ongoing league.

In their third home match, Kings, whose skipper Shreyas Iyer had lifted the IPL 2024 title while captaining the Riders, will expect their bowling line-up Kings’—which is yet to play at their best— to step up and take the challenge to batting-driven Riders.

Of the five matches, the Kings’ bowlers have allowed the opponent to cross 200-mark in four. To their credit, they have successfully defended the target twice in three matches—against Gujarat Titans (232 runs), Rajasthan Royals (205 runs), Chennai Super Kings (201 runs) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (247 runs)—when their side fielded second.

Notably, however, none of the bowlers have an economy rate lower than 9. Even the spinners, Yuzvendra Chahal and Glenn Maxwell, have leaked runs.

The hosts will look to start afresh after their last debacle against Hyderabad, where Punjab lad Abhishek Sharma went on to score 141 off 55 balls, but Lockie Ferguson’s injury during that clash will in all likelihood rule him out of the remainder of the tournament.

“The [last game] was disappointing for us. We knew going in that it will be a high-scoring game. We got a great score on the board, but then, unfortunately, our inability to take catches that night cost us,” said Kings’ fast bowling coach, James Hopes. He further confirmed, “Ferguson is out indefinitely and the chances of us getting him back by the end of the tournament are very slim. I think he has sustained a serious injury.”

The team is heavily relying on Indian pacer, Arshdeep Singh who is yet to find a ‘bright’ presence on the field. “For starters, I’m really enjoying working with him. He is a world-class bowler. The only thing that’s missing for him is wickets… If some of missed chances start going his way, you’re going to see the wickets pile up,” Hopes added.

While keeping aside the bowlers’ concern, Hopes also maintained that the side needs to lift their effort in the field. “I think we’ve dropped 12 catches in the tournament now… If we had taken those catches, I think we could be sitting here with a four-and-one record, but we cannot do anything other than have the boys work on it. We’re in a good spot in the competition and have a big week ahead against the same opponents, KKR and RCB. That’s just the way the schedule has worked out for us. So if we have a good week, we’re going to be well-placed going into the second half of the tournament,” concluded Hopes.

The Kings batting is heavily dependent on skipper Iyer (250 runs), who has scored three fifties in five games so far. Priyansh Arya has been the find of the season, with 195 runs and a century to his name already. Nehal Wadhera (141 runs), Prabhsimran Singh (133 runs) and finisher Shashank Singh (108 runs) have also give the team a lot of solidity.

While Hopes wait for a Kings’ second win, it won’t come easy against the star-studded Knight line-up led by Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer and the country’s most improved T20 spinner Varun Chakravarthy.

If Punjab goes for a flat deck, there is no guarantee that the bowling unit can defend anything in the 220 range. The Ajinkya Rahane-led opponents have also struck form after a slow start to the season that saw them lose two of their first three matches. They are now hunting for a hat-trick of wins. The Riders can be equally dangerous on both flatter decks and the slow spin-friendly tracks since they have all their bases covered.

Skipper duel

“Both Shreyas [Iyer] and Ajinkya [Rahane] are great leaders. Rahane brings calmness in the dugout and every youngster idolises him. And Iyer knows how to execute the plan. Both are different but bring a lot on the table for each team, so it will be a good fight,” said Riders’ Ramandeep Singh.

While talking about his individual performance, Ramandeep who represents Punjab in domestic cricket added, “My target is to make myself as a match winner for the team and I try to be fearless in my approach right from the first ball of my innings whether the ball is in my area or not. After the 15th over, whatever the situation is, I back myself. And the same goes for every one of us,” said Ramandeep. “I believe that it’s the bowling which helps the team win a championship. And we know it clearly. The likes of Varun [Chakravarthy] and Sunil [Narine] are our key to win on any pitch and can turn the match on their day,” he said, while crediting the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) domestic circuit for developing a good base for the region’s cricketers.

Chandigarh