Kings XI Punjab’s http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Paul-Valthaty-c2170 sets his sights on struggling Rajasthan Royals - Preview
The IPL is in full swing as it heads towards its 23rd match on Thursday, with the high flying Rajasthan Royals taking on the 8th placed Kings XI Punjab. The league position is more flattering than it perhaps should be, with the Royals
having played two matches than their Punjab counterparts.
As it stands, the Royals have played five games in the league so far, losing two against their bogey team, the Kolkata Knight Riders and winning two respectively. While their latest match leading up to the clash against the Kings XI was called off due to
rain. On the other hand, the Kings XI Punjab seems to have recovered well from their early loss against the Pune http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Warriors-c861 and have recorded two wins on the trot since.
Kings XI Punjab
Lead by Australian legend, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Punjab-c833 is a force to be reckoned with. Yet, it is another player who has been stealing all the headlines.
Paul Valthaty’s performances have been the reason his side is where they are. His aggression with the bat and handiness with the ball have been valuable assets for the Kings XI. He terrorised the Chennai Super Kings’ bowlers with a 120 run knock that came
off just 63 deliveries sending 21 balls to the ropes for boundaries, in what was a match-winning innings.
If there were any doubts about his consistency, he reproduced another scintillating performance as he took four wickets and scored a scorching 75 runs from 47 deliveries in what was his second consecutive match-winning performance. The Kings XI need to be
wary of not growing too dependent on the player, but with captain, Adam Gilchrist seeming to have found his form with a 61 run knock in the previous match, they seem to have strength in depth.
What is a cause for concern for the side, however, is their bowling. They lack bite in the sense that the Kings XI bowlers have not taken as many wickets as they should and have conceded far more runs than can be deemed acceptable.
Rajasthan Royals
The Royals have had a longer campaign than most of the other teams in the league and although they have an abundance of stars to call on, with the likes of Shane Warne, Shaun Tait, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/J-Botha-c1610, they seem to be struggling for form.
After getting off to the perfect start, recording two wins in their opening two games, the Royals seem to have a dip in form. Losing to the Kolkata Knight Riders two games in a row would be a concern for captain, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shane-Keith-Warne-c89672, as his side has not had a chance
to recover since. The Royal’s strength lies in its bowling with Shane Warne and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SW-Tait-c2616 in fine form, though their recent loss to the Knight Riders did expose weaknesses in that particular area as well.
Prediction
Based on previous form, the Kings XI Punjab seems to be the better team and should be the favourites. However, they seem to be dependent on Valthaty, whereas, the Royals have only lost to one team, albeit twice, and will be looking to get back to winning
ways. It is a case of Valthaty versus the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Rajasthan-c837 Royals attack, and the victor of that battle will emerge with the two points.
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