Kings XI Punjab v Bangalore Royal Challengers, IPL - Preview

Durban: After falling prey to rain-god's ire twice, a struggling Kings XI Punjab will hope for a better luck this time while Royal Challengers Bangalore will strive to get into the groove when the two teams cross swords in an Indian Premier League match on Friday.

Yuvraj Singh remains the pivotal performer for Punjab, especially in the absence of the hard-hitting Australian trio of Marsh, Luke Pomersbach and James Hopes.

He, who scored a brisk 28-ball 38 in last match against the Kolkata side, will also count upon Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara and his country-mate Mahela Jayawardene for some timely contributions.

The Yuvraj Singh-led side lost their campaign-opener against Delhi Daredevils by 10 wickets under laden sky before going down to the Shah Rukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders in another rain-truncated proceeding.

Steyn has been quick, but hasn't made the sort of impact expected from a team's pace spearhead. His side will be looking to him to rein in Yuvraj, who can cause as much damage as the veteran Australians who sunk Bangalore in their two previous matches.

With Rahul Dravid having had to prop up the batting so far, Bangalore will be tempted to include the power hitting of Mark Boucher or Cameron White in their side. Rajesh Bishnoi hasn't done much with his limited opportunities, and his place could come under scrutiny.

Match facts
Friday April 24, 2009 (day/night)
Start time 04.30pm, 14.30GMT, 08:00pm IST

Weather: Cloudy day and Chilly conditions.

Highlights of the match

	Royal Challengers	Kings XI Punjab
Last Year Ranking	7	3
Captain	Kevin Pietersen (England)	Yuvraj Singh (India)
Coach	Ray Jennings	Tom Moody
Records	M-3, W-1, L-2	M-2, L-2
Team Form	The win in the first game seems a distant memory now, thanks to the two losses on the trot!	The pathetic, depleted bowling is making it increasingly difficult for the batsmen. The weather hasn't helped the team's causes too.
Drawing Board	Drop Kallis and inlude Van Der Merwe	Captain Yuvraj Singh must come in early, so that he can play as many overs as possible.
X-Factor	Robin Uthappa is due for a good knock	Piyush Chawla's leg spinners.
Key Stars	Dravid, Pietersen and Ryder	Yuvraj, Sangkakkara, Irfan Pathan

Scores	Upcoming	Results
South Africa vs Pakistan - 3rd ODI 4th Test - Australia v India - December 26-30, 23:30 GMT 1st Test - Zimbabwe v Afghanistan - December 26-30, 07:30 GMT 3rd ODI - Zimbabwe v Afghanistan at Harare Afghanistan won by 8 wickets (with 139 balls remaining) 3rd T20I - West Indies v Bangladesh at St Vincent Bangladesh won by 80 runs

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