With contrasting fortunes in the past and completely different results recently, Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings would look to keep their date with the better part of their stories when the two Kings meet here at the PCA stadium on Wednesday.
Having played only one match each, it is just the starting point for both Chennai and Punjab. It's more of getting set with the tournament rather than looking at what they've done so far. Kings beat Pune Warriors by eight wickets while Super Kings lost to Mumbai Indians by mere nine runs in their opener at home.
Apart from aiming to keep themselves in control, the hosts would also try to keep their campaign in check throughout. CSK, meanwhile, would definitely want to get back to their famed ways quickly. It was only the last edition, towards the end of the league stage, when Punjab had almost eliminated the then defending champions Chennai. So, the most consistent side in the IPl, CSK, wouldn't be served anything on a platter in Mohali and they would do well by keeping those Dharamsala memories of last year alive.
And, if the practice sessions on the eve were anything to go by, the visitors surely would not rest even a bit. Their extended net sessions, checking and rechecking of the pitch, that had a tinge of green in it, and focused approach said it all. The hosts were seemingly taking it easy, the big names like skipper Adam Gilchrist, Praveen Kumar, David Hussey and Piyush Chawla turning up only for the second half of the late evening practice after completing some promotional events commitments in the city. New coach Darren lehmann, however, was keeping the men on their toes since the word go. And, Gilchrist was quick enough to credit him for bringing about the change in players approach and fielding standards. The other interesting dimension of the match would be the competing Hussey brothers, Mike for Chennai and David for Punjab.
Specialists are what Kings XI are all about and Gilchrist as the leader would suggest the same. Then there is David Hussey who lends calmness to the middle-order and Azhar Mahmood fits the bill well for the all-rounder's spot. Both men are regarded good finishers of the T20 game. To square off the foreigners' package, if they retain all four from the Pune win, Ryan Harris would be too happy to lend the bowling unit some more experience.
What makes things promising for the Gilchrist bunch is the mix of the foreign recruits with the Indians, especially the duo of Mandeep Singh, who was part of the Indian U-19 World Cup winning team last year, and Manan Vohra, another U-19 player who had a good IPl debut against Pune on Sunday with an unbeaten 43. Their bowling derives its Men in Blue flavour from Praveen, Chawla and Parwinder Awana having the majority of the workload.
The 2010 and 2011 winners CSK on the other hand have a lot of Indian players in their side. Murali Vijay at the start of the innings, Suresh Raina coming first down, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin in the middle and lower order.
While they form the base at CSK, Michael Hussey can take control of the innings from the beginning, Dwayne Bravo the all-rounder can be explosive in his batting while also mixing up the deliveries while he bowls to outfox the batsmen. Dirk Nannes' left-arm fast mediums only add to the variety of the yellow brigade. Team news has it that all-rounder Albie Morkel and Chris Morris are available for selection, though the duo is unlikely to be fielded. And, with enough options available, CSK might not even bother the two as they arrived only Monday night. It now boils down to whether KXIP would be able to pick their options wisely and give CSK some nervous moments. The spectators would surely like that.