IPL 2017, KKR vs KXIP Preview: Kolkata Seek To Use Home Advantage To Halt Punjab's Run

Eden Gardens Kolkata will witness first action in the Indian Premier League Season 10 when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) take on a happening Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in what promises to be a high-voltage encounter. While KXIP have things going their way, KKR have swayed between the sublime and the ridiculous when they managed to beat Gujarat Lions by 10 wickets and then contrived to somehow lose to Mumbai Indians off the penultimate ball of their contest. But KKR have one of the most balanced sides in the tournament and if they can shake off that shock loss, they would be quite a team to face.

KXIP, with two wins out of two, would be quite high on momentum and morale, so the KKR think-tank headed by skipper Gautam Gambhir would be well served to find ways to get past them.

With dice loaded in favour of the batsmen, it's the bowlers who largely decide who wins or loses.

KKR has one of the best pace batteries in IPL 10, with Umesh Yadav, Trent Boult, Chris Woakes and even young Ankit Rajpoot in the fray. While they did make a hash of what was a defendable target against MI, they can be quite a handful.

Then they have the wrist spin of Kuldeep Yadav and the yet-untested left-arm spin of Shakib-al Hasan.

KXIP, on the other hand, have largely fallen back on Varun Aaron, Sandeep Sharma and Mohit Sharma for the department, with the rather thin spin department being led by Axar Patel.

The batting on both sides can be formidable. KXIP have seen Hashim Amla, skipper Glenn Maxwell, Manan Vohra and David Miller coming good, while Gambhir has led the KKR assault, with help from the now-sidelined Chris Lynn and Manish Pandey.