The first match of the third Super Sunday in the second edition of the Indian Premier League will have the Kings XI Punjab face the Kolkata Knight Riders at Port Elizabeth. The Kings have won three matches out of the six they have played – all in a row – while the Knight Riders are languishing at the bottom of the pile with only one win and nothing to show for their off-field efforts.
Chris Gayle was supposed to have left by now, but he has planned to stay back for this particular match; and he could be one player worth selecting in the team. However, given that his decision is still pending, the Sports Pundit IPL Fantasy experts could wait till before the start of the match to make any transfers related to him.
The other batsman who could be worth a buy is Sourav Ganguly; someone who has had a decent run with the bat – and sometimes with the ball too – and will now open the inning for the Knight Riders.
From the Punjab’s point of view, Yuvraj Singh had come in at the top of the order too after Ravindra Bopara’s departure for England, and that paid rich dividends to him. He has slowly seemed to have got his form back and should be good pick if you have transfers left. Between Gayle and Yuvraj, I would pitch for the latter.
Amongst the bowlers, Ashok Dinda and Ajit Agarkar, both have had a really bad series so far, and one isn’t sure whether both will feature in a game together. Ishant Sharma has had a couple of reasonable spells, but I can sense that Mashrafe Mortaza should get a chance in this match. This may also be a good selection for the SPIFfers, who otherwise may rely on Yusuf Abdullah to deliver the body blows.
Abdullah is the current holder of the purple cap and the way he is bowling, looks good to pick up more wickets. He is nippy and with the quick-arm action, it does become for the tail-enders to read him off the wicket. This is one reason why I will pick him and keep him till the end of the tournament.
Amongst slow bowlers, Ramesh Powar makes the cut, although he bowled only one over in the last match. His slowness off the wicket should test the Kolkata Knight Riders’ batsmen.