Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata, IPL: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview

Kings XI Punjab will be looking for revenge when they take on the Kolkata Knight Riders in a repeat of last year's Indian Premier League final.

Neither side has so far shown the form that took them to last year's showpiece though. The Kings XI batting has been sketchy and the Kolkata attack has looked a little toothless. Something has to give in Pune on Saturday.

Let's take a closer look at the two sides.

Venue: MCA International Stadium, Pune

Date: Saturday 18 April, 2015

Start Time: 8:00 p.m. IST, 3:30 p.m. BST

Live On: Sony Six and Set Max (India), IMG (Caribbean), PCCW (Hong Kong), Maasranga TV (Banhagladesh), Sky NZ (New Zealand), Sky Sports (UK), EMTV (Papua New Guinea), Measat (Malaysia), OSN Network (Middle East), StarHub (Singapore), Super Sports (Sub-Saharan Africa), Geo Super (Pakistan), Carlton Sports Network (Sri Lanka), Sportsnet (Canada), Willow TV (USA).

Weather: There shouldn't be any problems with conditions in Pune on Saturday. According to Accuweather it will be dry with temperatures of around 20C at the start of play.

Overview

A repeat of last year's final should be one of the most anticipated matches of the 2015 IPL. Both sides have wobbled a little at the start of this campaign though, especially Kings XI.

Punjab lost just three times in 2014 but have already been beaten by the Rajasthan Royals and the perennially underachieving Delhi Daredevils this time round.

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.@DelhiDaredevils beat @lionsdenkxip by 5 wickets with one ball remaining in the #IPL2015 pic.twitter.com/HpGxVmkheX

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) April 15, 2015"

The chief cause for concern has been the state of the batting, so long a strength for the Kings XI. George Bailey is the only batsman to have a 50 to his name in their three games.

On paper, Punjab have one of the most powerful top orders in this year's IPL. Glenn Maxwell and David Miller have been non-factors so far though. Virender Sehwag, Murali Vijay and Wriddhiman Saha have shown glimpses of form without producing a match-defining innings. That will have to change against Kolkata.

The bowling too has been a mixed bag. Mitchell Johnson has bowled with his usual pace but has been expensive. Anything wayward will be punished by an experienced Knight Riders lineup.

That Kolkata top order has been boosted with the news that Gautam Gambhir should be fit after shaking off a stomach bug.

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Reached the quiet n picturesque Pune. Feeling much better. Will be practising wid @KKRiders tomorrow. Thanks for d wishes ppl...

— GGF (@GautamGambhir) April 16, 2015"

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The skipper has been the pick of the batsmen in Kolkata's two outings, passing 50 both times.

After coasting home against the Mumbai Indians in their opening match, the Kolkata attack couldn't contain a rampant Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers against Royal Challengers Bangalore. There's no disgrace in that but there are warning signs flashing ahead of the Kings XI clash.

Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Piyush Chawla are yet to take a wicket between this in this year's IPL. That will have to change if they're to condemn last year's runner-up to a third defeat of 2015.

Squads

Kings XI Punjab (from): George Bailey, Axar Patel, Anureet Singh, Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Glenn Maxwell, Gurkeerat Mann Singh, Karanveer Singh, Manan Vohra, Mitchell Johnson, Parvinder Awana, Rishi Dhawan, Sandeep Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Shaun Marsh, Shivam Sharma, Thisara Perera, Virender Sehwag, Wriddhiman Saha (W), Murali Vijay, Nikhil Naik, Yogesh Golwalkar

Kolkata Knight Riders (from): Gautam Gambhir, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Piyush Chawla, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Morne Morkel, Umesh Yadav, Manish Pandey, Pat Cummins, Ryan ten Doeschate, Suryakumar Yadav, Andre Russell, Veer Pratap Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, James Neesham, Brad Hogg, Sumit Narwal, Sheldon Jackson, Aditya Garhwal, Kishan Cariappa, Vaibhav Rawal

Key Players

Kings XI Punjab

Just 28 runs from his first three innings represents a very disappointing start to Glenn Maxwell's IPL. As we saw in the World Cup, it only takes one innings to move from looking like an also ran to a world-beater. Runs against Kolkata would be a fine start.

Anureet Singh has been Punjab's chief wicket-taking threat. The 27-year-old has seven wickets to his name in this year's IPL. He may not have the pace of teammate Mitchell Johnson but his canny medium pace could come in handy against the Knight Riders.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Captain Gautam Gambhir has led from the front in the Knight Riders' first two outings. He's found an able foil in Suryakumar Yadav.

The Kings XI attack has looked vulnerable in their matches to date. If they wobble again, Gambhir and Yadav are more than capable of making them pay.

The bowling attack needs a boost too. A few wickets for Sunil Narine would go a long way to kick-staring the Kolkata campaign.

Stats courtesy of ESPNcricinfo.