In the two games they have played so far, Kolkata Knight Riders have depended heavily on the prowess of their opening batsman, Chris Lynn.
His unbeaten 93 in the first game had helped Kolkata steamroll Gujarat Lions by 10 wickets. His knock underscored the team’s intent and announced the early arrival of a new IPL star.
However, following a shoulder injury, picked up during their game against Mumbai Indians on Sunday, the Australian is likely to miss a major chunk of his side’s campaign this season. While, Lynn is available to play in the latter stages of the season, his absence would be felt as Kolkata look to get back to winning ways after losing in Mumbai.
While they still have a formidable squad, his absence will surely rankle, especially against Kings XI, who have yet to put a foot wrong so far in the tournament.
Time: 8 pm
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
TV: Sony Max, Sony Six, Sony ESPN and their HD channels
Results in 2016:
Played: 2
KKR won: 2
Kings XI won: 0
Kolkata Knight Riders
- Of the 19 games played between the two sides, Kolkata have won 13. They have won the last seven encounters against Kings XI. RCB’s eight consecutive wins against Delhi Daredevils is the best winning streak a team has achieved against a particular opponent.
“It’s not as bad as we thought. Our medical staff is working overtime to see how quickly we can get him ready. Good chance that he will still play a role in this season for us.”
KKR head coach Jacques Kallis on Chris Lynn’s injury
Squad: Gautam Gambhir (c), Robin Uthappa (wicket-keeper), Darren Bravo, Ishank Jaggi, Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Chris Lynn, Suryakumar Yadav, Sheldon Jackson (wicket-keeper), Chris Woakes, Rishi Dhawan, Sanjay Yadav, Rovman Powell, Shakib Al Hasan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Trent Boult, Sayan Ghosh, Piyush Chawla, Umesh Yadav, Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot, Colin de Grandhomme.
Kings XI Punjab
- Kings XI Punjab have won both the games they have played so far. The last time they managed two consecutive wins was towards the fag end of the 2014 season.
“When we played in Dubai (2014 season), we played with a free mind in the initial five matches. We could carry that momentum till the final. We are trying to do that this year as well.”
Kings XI player Wriddhiman Saha on their intent this season
Squad: Glenn Maxwell (c), David Miller, Manan Vohra, Axar Patel, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Anureet Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Shaun Marsh, Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper), Nikhil Naik, Mohit Sharma, Marcus Stoinis, KC Cariappa, Armaan Jaffer, Pardeep Sahu, Swapnil Singh, Hashim Amla, Varun Aaron, Eoin Morgan, Matt Henry, Rahul Tewatia, Martin Guptill, Darren Sammy, Rinku Singh, T Natarajan, Ishant Sharma.
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