In the second match to be played in the Indian Premier League on Satuday, Pune Warriors will clash with Kolkata Knight Riders in Pune.
The match is inconsequential in nature with the fate for both teams already sealed. Kolkata Knight Riders have already qualified for the playoffs while Pune Warriors have been eliminated.
Kolkata Knight Riders sealed their spot in the playoffs with a 32-run win over Mumbai Indians. Sunil Narine was, as expected, the star of the evening, picking up four wickets on his way to becoming the joing-highest wicket-taker this season with 21 wickets.
He could be rested for the upcoming match though and either Brett Lee or Marchant de Lange could make a return.
If this happens, Shakib al Hassan is likely to earn another match despite performing below par. Gautam Gambhir will be hoping for an event-free match after ugly scenes were witnessed following the Mumbai match when owner Shahrukh Khan was seen in a scuffle with the security personnel at Wankhede. The move has irked plenty with Shahrukh Khan’s entry at the stadium potentially banned for life.
For the Pune Warriors, the season started off with trouble as their sponsors pulled out before a compromise was reached. Then, except a small patch in between, the team struggled to excel on the field.
And finally, the spot-fixing row that erupted and led to suspension of five players included one Monish Mishra, currently a member of the Pune Warriors squad. Sourav Ganguly has had problems leading the side as well as with his own form, often being criticized for slow batting and unoriginal leadership.
Michael Clarke will be back in action after returning home for his wedding earlier this week as the team looks to save itself some pride at the end of the season.
The match will start at 8pm in Pune, and it remains to be seen whether the crowd turns up in big numbers given the nature of the match.