If recent results and performances are anything to go by, the fans at the Eden on Monday night are in for a treat as the Knights play hosts to Punjab Kings. The two teams are separated by just 2 points in the table and both teams will go into this fixture with the intent of grabbing the 2 points at any cost. The Punjab Kings come into this contest having posted 4 200+ scores in their last 4 games whilst the Knights have won 2 of their last 3. With the Eden being one of the best tracks to bat on this season, another run fest cannot be ruled out.
With their backs against the wall, the Knights found a way to wrestle a memorable win against the Sunrisers in the previous match, as Varun Chakravarthy bowled 3 incredible overs to stifle the opposition into defeat. The Knights will carry the confidence from the win into this fixture. In terms of the head to head record, The Knights have won 20 of their 32 fixtures against the visitors. Earlier this season, in the reverse fixture in Mohali, the Knights fell short by 7 runs (D/L) chasing 191 to win in a rain interrupted tie. With both teams now looking to mount a late run at the playoff spots, the stakes are as high as they have ever been.
With 366 runs, Andre Russell is the most prolific run scorer among the current Knights side against the visitors. Among the bowlers, Sunil Narine has 33 wickets with incredible best figures of 5/19 against the Punjab Kings. Both the West Indians are due for a big performance this season and the Knights will be hopeful their star men come in clutch at this stage of the tournament. The Knights will also be counting on the likes of Roy,Gurbaz, Skipper Rana and Rinku Singh to continue their form with the bat.
The wicket at Edens has helped run scoring all season with no score deemed safe. The bare minimum score to stay in the hunt will have to be 200 for teams batting first and even defending that would require a herculean effort from the bowlers. With temperatures expected to hit 40 and above on Monday, we can expect the track to be hard and dry assisting the batsmen from ball 1.
With much at stake and in-form players in both camps, Monday’s match at the Eden has all the makings of a classic!
