SPORTS CENTER CONTEST #57 - IPL DAILY DOUBLE PREVIEWKolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs (KXIP) Kings XI Punjab
KKR and KXIP have three wins apiece, though the former have played one match more than KXIP’s three. KKR sit atop the standings, courtesy a superior net run rate. Both teams come into this match riding on superlative performances in their respective previous matches. KKR took the confidence of a resounding win against the Delhi Daredevils at home when they travelled to Jaipur and humbled the Rajasthan Royals in their fortress. KXIP too have the confidence of consecutive wins behind them; first, they defeated the Chennai Super Kings by a narrow margin of 4 runs, and most recently handed Sunrisers Hyderabad their first defeat of the season.
The two captains in this match – Dinesh Karthik and Ravichandran Ashwin – have read the game well, have been aggressive with their decision making, and have impressed with how they’ve utilised the resources at their disposal. Which one of them will be able to outwit the other? Table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders and a transformed Kings XI Punjab cross swords in an Indian Premier League contest in which two big-hitting Jamaicans -- Andre Russell and Chris Gayle -- will be up against each other. In Australian Aaron Finch and Yuvraj Singh, they have two destructive finishers who are due for big knocks, and KKR would look for early breakthroughs to mount pressure on the duo. Russell, another explosive Jamaican, singled-handedly decimated Delhi Daredevils in his 12-ball 41 in their last match at the Eden.
Mumbai Indians (MI) vs Rajasthan Royals (RR) 
Rajasthan’s batting revolves around their two big superstars Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler. Although Sanju Samson has done a fantastic job for them so far at no. 3, it’s the Stokes-Buttler duo which is entrusted with the job of putting the impetus into the Rajasthan innings with some power hitting in the middle and death overs. Bowling is the weaker forte of RR, however, if the pitch assists the spinners, Mumbai has the upper hand as they have more quality in their spin department in comparison to the Rajasthan Royals who have got two fairly inexperienced spinners at their disposal.
