Knight Riders’ spin attack braced for red hot Gayle & Co

HEAD TO HEAD

KOLKATA: Like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Chris Gayle isn’t someone who would blush at the chance of self-promotion. It isn’t braggadocio. Kings XI Punjab have gone over 190 in both matches Gayle has played.

IPL’S success may not depend on individuals anymore but Gayle is in that league of extraordinary gentlemen who took it there.

“If you allow someone like Chris to get some rhythm and confidence, he is a very dangerous player. Because he is so powerful, he just backs his ability to clear the boundary when the ball is in his zone,” said Heath Streak, Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowling coach, ahead of Saturday’s match against KXIP here.

Gayle has played some memorable knocks at Eden -- 55-ball 102 in 2011, 86 next year, 96 in 2015 and 49 in 2016 -- but at 38, can he recover in less than 48 hours?

That will be one of the things to look forward to as much as the contest between KKR’S wrist spinners and KXIP’S openers. How effective KKR’S spinners are can be gauged by the fact that despite Sunil Narine struggling in Jaipur, they bowled 16 overs of spin, conceding only 107.

Both teams go into the game after successive wins.

Both bat deep and in Andre Russell, Kolkata Knight Riders have someone who can match Gayle for power. With R Ashwin, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Axar Patel available, KXIP too can pack a mean spin punch.

Kolkata Knight Riders Kings XI Punjab