Live: IPL 2018 | Kolkata Knight Riders beat Kings XI Punjab by 31 runs

Sunil Narine was back to opening the batting

Sunil Narine was back to opening the batting   | Photo Credit: Vivek Bendre

KKR bring in Javon Searles for Tom Curran, Gill for Rinku Singh

Preview

Three weeks ago, when Kolkata Knight Riders hosted Kings XI Punjab at the Eden Gardens, it had rained so much that the game had to be decided by the DLS method. Such a scenario looks unlikely here, with the temperature hovering above 40° Celsius.

With a 4 p.m. kick-off, much of the match would have to be played in hot and humid conditions. The visitors might find something else besides the weather that could be too hot to handle: the KXIP opening pair. 

If Chris Gayle doesn’t get you, K.L. Rahul will; sometimes both will, as KKR found to its dismay. They added 116 inside 10 overs to take KXIP home in that match at Kolkata. Dinesh Karthik’s men must be putting their faith in the saying that lightning doesn’t strike twice at the same place or in this case against the same team.