If that amazing victory over the Royal Challengers Bangalore will not inspire the Kolkata Knight Riders to bigger and better things this season, nothing will. Staring defeat in the face, KKR pulled off a stunning victory over RCB on Thursday to snatch point that should have never been theirs.
Where to Watch Live:
Get the report HERE
The game is scheduled for an 8 pm IST(6.30 pm local time, 3.30 pm GMT, 10.30 am ET) start with live coverage on Sony Six and Sony Max in India. Watch the match via live streaming online in India HERE or HERE. Viewers in the US can live stream the action HERE, while audience in Canada can do the same HERE. Rest of the world can catch the IPL action HERE, HERE or through the GoCricket apps.
Viewers in the UK can catch the action live on ITV, while Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will have TV coverage via Geo Super, Maasaranga TV and Carlton Sports Network respectively. Viewers in the Middle East and North Africa can catch the action on OSN and with the link HERE, while New Zealand viewers can do the same through Sky NZ HERE.
Come Saturday evening, having already stopped one unbeaten side's run, the onus will be on the Knight Riders to quell the Kings XI Punjab and their three-match winning run when the two sides meet in what promises to be a you-cannot-miss-it IPL 2014 encounter in Abu Dhabi.
Chris Lynn was the hero for KKR against RCB, pulling off one of the best ever catches you are likely to see, while also playing a big innings with the bat. The Australian was an inspired selection by the KKR management and if Lynn can get some support from the rest of his teammates in the batting department, then they could seriously trouble Kings XI.
"I was just waiting for my chance," Lynn, who grabbed that opportunity, and then some, told IPL's official website after the brilliant win on Thursday. "Kolkata Knight Riders have an amazing lineup, so it's difficult to get a look in when you have so many amazing players ahead of you. I just wanted to try and do the right thing when I got a chance, and it paid off.
"It is my second game in the IPL, but my first game for my new franchise. To come out with a win in my very first game feels great. We were under the pump a little bit early on in the innings and the boys fought hard. I am glad we could win that thriller."
While one Australian might have grabbed the spotlight over the past couple of days, it has been another Aussie who has set IPL 7 on fire with his explosive, carefree and just plain ridiculous batting. Glenn Maxwell has been next to unstoppable in this tournament, making the deliveries bowled by the bowlers look like candy for him to gobble up at every opportunity, and KKR's biggest threat on Saturday will come in the mould of the reverse-sweeping phenom.
Doubts still linger over Kings XI's bowling lineup, despite stopping the Sunrisers Hyderabad at 121 in their last game, but it will continue to matter little if Maxwell continues in the same vein. Kings XI, of course, could also use a blazing start from Virender Sehwag, who threatened to turn back time in his last game, before perishing, while skipper George Bailey will also be looking forward to getting some quality time in the middle.
KKR's strength is their bowling, as they showed against RCB, and with Sunil I-never-concede-any-runs Narine in their lineup, they invariably make an innings into a 16-over encounter. Maxwell will, no doubt, go after any bowler he faces, and the battle between two of the best in this format will be one of the highlights of match.
Batting vs bowling it is, and may the best team win.
