Thaindian News

Dharamsala, May 20 (IANS) Kings XI Punjab will be looking for their fifth consecutive win in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when they face Deccan Chargers in a must-win match at the HPCA Stadium here Saturday.

Kings XI Punjab, who are fifth on the points-table with 14 points from 13 matches, are still in contention to qualify for the playoffs. Another top-four contender Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) comfortably beat Pune Warriors Thursday to move to the third place with 16 points from 13 matches. Mumbai Indians are fourth on the table, having the same number of points as KKR but after playing a game less.

Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are the two teams that have already qualified for the next stage.

If Kings XI Punjab beat Deccan Chargers, they will have to wait for the result of the Knight Riders-Mumbai Indians match Sunday to know their fate.

Apart from the top-four slot, Kings XI Punjab will also be looking to end their league campaign with a victory in front of the home crowd.

In the first match here, they beat Delhi Daredevils while in the second they soundly thrashed the in-form RCB.

Their top three batsmen — Adam Gilchrist, Paul Valthaty and Shaun Marsh — are in prime form and have the capability to shred any bowling attack to pieces.

In the match against RCB, Gilchrist and Marsh shared a partnership of 206 runs, the highest so far in a Twenty20 match.

Punjab’s bowling attack has also done well and the two strike bowlers Praveen Kumar and Ryan Harris have been frugal and lethal. They have been ably supported by Piyush Chawla, who with his leg-breaks has kept the batsmen quiet and the run rate under check.

Deccan Chargers, on the other hand, would be playing for pride after already being out of the competition.

Beating the Hyderbabad franchise will not be a walk in the park for the home team as they are also on a bit of a roll after defeating Pune Warriors and Mumbai Indians in their last two games.