Kings XI Punjab take on imperious Chennai Super Kings

CUTTACK: Over its thousand year-old history, this city has been ruled by various dynasties, and now the Kings XI Punjab have made it their home.
But their sway over the city's heart will face severe challenge on Wednesday as they take on Chennai Super Kings, the real kings of the Indian Premier League and current table-toppers, at Barabati Stadium.
With IPL returning after nearly two years, the fans want to see a high-octane encounter especially after what happened when the two teams met for the first time in this edition in the UAE. It is the only match that CSK have lost so far, thanks to a typical Glenn Maxwell blitzkrieg.
Barring that match, Chennai have been in destructive form and are at the top of the table with 12 points. Their most recent victory came against Delhi Daredevils on Monday when they won by eight wickets after another emphatic performance by openers Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith, a.k.a Bazz and Doctor, respectively.
Suresh Raina has also been in fine touch and played a crucial role in beating the Daredevils, with some big-hitting as soon as he came in. It has not been an easy tournament for Faf du Plessis but it is difficult to believe a player of his calibre will keep failing for too long.
As far as their bowling is concerned, Mohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja have done most of the damage, picking up 12 and 11 wickets respectively. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ben Hilfenaus have also done their bit, having taken seven wickets each.
Even though the Super Kings are playing like a team possessed, Kings XI Punjab are the best bet to beat them. They did lose to bottom-placed Mumbai Indians in the last match but they were unstoppable in the UAE leg.
The Punjab side, who made the semifinal only in the first edition, have looked a different side with the inclusion of Maxwell and David Miller. Maxwell has already amassed 345 runs from six matches including scores of 95, 95 and 89. Virender Sehwag has also shown flashes of brilliance.
Among the bowlers, Sandeep Sharma has been one of the finds of the tournament, having picked up nine wickets from four matches at an average of 10.11. Keeping him company are Mitchell Johnson, Akshar Patel and Rishi Dhawan.
This battle promises to be a blockbuster.