Played two, lost two" only scratches at the surface of Kings XI Punjab's corpus of worries as they head into their third match of the season. The manner of their defeat against Delhi Daredevils at the Feroz Shah Kotla was particularly disconcerting. The middle order looked shaky and David Miller and Glenn Maxwell - on whom the team strongly depends - appeared badly out of form. Chaotic running between the wickets and missed chances in the field rounded off an all-round shambolic performance. Hence, even as they return to Mohali, Kings XI may be forgiven for feeling like they have strayed up a beanstalk and need to steal a win from Rising Pune Supergiants.
Supergiants, for their part, will seek momentum with their settled side. Notwithstanding their defeat at the hands of Gujarat Lions, they have most bases covered. The top order is firing, the spinners are playing their part, and captain MS Dhoni played a fine cameo when he got the chance, against Lions. Though Rajat Bhatia and Mitchell Marsh had a poor match against the Lions, they bowled economical spells in the tournament opener against Mumbai Indians. RP Singh and Ishant Sharma may be more of a concern, though, particularly in relation to their struggles when bowling in the end overs.
Ultimately, Supergiants seem to have more options and more ways to win a match than Kings XI. The hosts will need a disciplined and gutsy effort with contributions from their key players to register their first win of IPL 2016.
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