Kolkata: The most consistent team of this season will be up against the most resilient side of the current edition when Kings XI Punjab lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders in the first Qualifier clash of the IPL here on Tuesday at 8:00pm.
Previously known for being under-achievers, Kings XI Punjab have been the most outstanding team this season to top the table thanks to a superlative batting show from Glenn Maxwell.
With only two wins from their first seven matches, Kolkata Knight Riders were written off midway into the tournament but they bounced back to seal a playoff berth.
Later, Yusuf Pathan’s hurricane 22-ball 72 fired them up to second spot on net run rate and they are in the middle of a record seven-match winning streak.
The heavyweights tag will be with KXIP but at the same time they will be wary of KKR’s momentum and it will be quite a challenge for George Bailey’s men to breach their opponent’s fortress at Eden Gardens.
Both teams are two wins away from the glittering trophy but a loss in the first qualifier will not be the end of the road either. The losing team will survive to play the second qualifier in the battle to make the final.
Yusuf will be a threat in the ranks of KKR, quite the same way Maxwell is in the KXIP line-up, in what promises to be yet another run feast with both teams boasting of powerful batting line-ups. (PTI)
