Lagatar24 Desk
Kolkata Knight Riders will meet Punjab Kings in match 45 of the IPL phase-2 on Friday. This match is going to be held in Dubai International Stadium.
KKR have won five out of their 11games and occupy the fourth position with 10 points. However, they can’t afford to take it easy as every match is crucial. But they would like to win this match and take a step forward towards the knockouts. For Punjab, this match has to be played in a do or die situation, because if the match goes hand in hand, Punjab’s dream of reaching the playoffs may be shattered. PBKS have played 11 matches so far and have won only four, while the team has lost in seven.
For Punjab, the middle order is the biggest problem. Aiden Markram has scored 26, 27 and 42 in the last three matches but he has not been able to convert the stars he got into big scores. Deepak Hooda has also scored just 157 runs in 11 matches. At the same time, Nicholas Pooran is going through the worst phase of his career at this time. In 9 innings of this season, he has scored just 70 runs with his bat at a very mediocre average of 7.78.
KKR have done well this season so far. The team has won five matches out of 11 and the run rate of the team is also very good as compared to other teams. Apart from Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi and Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik has also played well in the death overs when given a chance. However, Captain Morgan is still waiting for the big innings. Their bowlers are also doing a good job for Kolkata. Varun Chakraborty has taken 11 wickets in 11 matches and Lockie Ferguson has taken 7 wickets in four matches.
In this 45th match Punjab would be looking forward to stay in the hunt for the play-offs, While Kolkata would be looking to maintain their momentum and better run rate.
