KXIP face Pune Supergiant in playoff for lastfour spot

Glenn Maxwell’s boys have to win their last match and hope that rain doesn’t play spoilsport

In what will be a virtual quarterfinal, Rising Pune Supergiant will take on Kings XI Punjab in their last group game here on Sunday. It is a must-win tie for Kings XI Punjab to stay in reckoning for playoffs. But there are chances that rain could play spoilsport. Rising Pune Supergiant, however, could qualify despite losing or in case of a washout.

THE SITUATION

Mumbai Indians have already qualified for the play-offs while Kolkata Knight Riders are almost assured of a spot since they have a better net run-rate (+0.729) among the teams vying for the other three spots. Sunday’s match has become a virtual quarterfinal after Sunrisers Hyderabad qualified for the playoffs when they beat Gujarat Lions on Saturday.

PUNE’S PROBLEMS

For a major part of the season, RPS’ batting woes had been taken care of by the sensational opener Rahul Tripathi. His partner Ajinkya Rahane (248 runs at an average of 19.07) however, has struggled. Of the 10 times the two have stepped out to take guard together, Rahane has fallen first on eight occasions.

The reason RPS find themselves on the cusp of qualification despite a horrid start is because someone or the other has managed to step up every game. There is no consistency though. Be it Ben Stokes, Steven Smith or MS Dhoni, none of the top batsmen have played consistently. Although Dhoni did manage to finish off a few games, he’s failed in delivering in crunch situations. Their bowling has been decent with Imran Tahir and of late Jaydev Unadkat, being impressive.

POUNCING PUNJAB

After four successive losses early on in the tournament, Kings XI Punjab were in a spot of bother. But they have recovered well to keep their qualification hopes alive. A major reason for their turnaround has been the consistent performances from Glenn Maxwell, Sandeep Sharma and Axar Patel, which along with a few blistering knocks from Shaun Marsh and Hashim Amla, have kept them in the hunt.

Sandeep Sharma, in particular, has been their go-to man over the last few games.

He’s currently fifth on the list of top wicket-takers this season and has been extremely effective at the death. Maxwell, too, has contributed well with the bat and has chipped in with crucial breakthroughs.

On Sunday too, a shared workload might come in handy for KXIP against RPS, who may still have to bank on individual brilliance to come through.