Two of the great under performing teams over the years in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Kings XI Punjab and the Rajasthan Royals, open their 2015 Pepsi IPL campaign at the Maharashtra Cricket Association stadium in Pune on Friday.
The Kings XI were runners-up last season to the Kolkata Knight Riders, but that was the first time that they had qualified for the knockout phases of the tournament since the inaugural edition of the IPL back in 2008. The Royals were the winners of IPL1, but in the intervening seasons, have made just one semi-final.
Both sides should provide some entertaining cricket this season, with a number of iconic players in both line ups who performed so well at the recent World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The Kings XI will be looking for Glenn Maxwell, a World Cup winner with Australia, and the player of the tournament last year, along with the South African David Miller to provide the sort of fireworks that seemed to flow from their bats every time they appeared in the middle in the early stages of last season’s tournament. However, they will be looking for more consistency in this campaign, and for the big guns to produce the goods in the important games.
India may no longer require his services, but if Virender Sehwag can also produce anything like his best form on the batsmen friendly wicket at Pune, then visiting bowlers may be in for some unpleasant times when they take the Kings XI on, in their own back yard.
The Royals will have run machines of their own on display on Friday, with Australians Steve Smith and James Faulkner in their squads. Smith at No.3 in the order will play an important role in trying to fight off his Australian speedster teammate Mitchell Johnson.
Kings XI won both games between the teams in 2014, reaching a target of 191 in less than 19 overs in Sharjah, before scoring 180 in the return match, which proved too many for the Royals. It would no surprise to see Punjab start with another high scoring victory.