KXIP face home test against KKR

Having notched up their first victory against Pune Supergiants, an upbeat Kings XI Punjab face the all-round might of two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders in an Indian Premier League cricket tournament encounter, here on Tuesday.

While KKR have four points from three games with two wins under their belt, Kings XI opened their account with a six-wicket win against Pune on Sunday.

On paper, KKR are overwhelming favourites against Punjab with a more balanced outfit but reputations count for little in the shortest format as most of the contests are won on the day.

Expect an interesting battle between KKR’s much vaunted batting line-up against KXIP’s bowling which has looked disciplined during their last match against Pune on a two-paced wicket.

So there could be some intriguing smaller battle within the battles. How Gambhir tackles Mohit Sharma’s slower deliveries or how Sandeep Sharma can stop Andre Russell from hitting those towering sixes.

It will also be a challenge for KXIP spinners like Axar Patel as KKR is one side which has quality batsmen against slow bowlers. For Knight Riders, the best part about their journey since Gambhir taking over in 2011 is the amount of consistency that they have shown over the years.