Saturday 21 April 2018 20:04, UK
Here's what's in store in the Indian Premier League today...
It's Saturday, and so we're back to the thrills and spills of IPL double-headers for the weekend. First up, the Kolkata Knight Riders host Kings XI Punjab, before the Royal Challengers Bangalore take on the Delhi Daredevils - we're live on Sky Sports Cricket from 11am, with action in Kolkata and Bangalore beginning at 11.30am and 3.30pm, respectively.
The Kolkata and Kings XI clash features two of the form sides in the tournament. The Knight Riders have handily won their last two on the bounce, with their latest seven-wicket success over the Rajasthan Royals, on Wednesday, even taking them to the top of the table.
As for Kings XI, the IPL resurgence of Chris Gayle has also inspired them to back-to-back triumphs. The Universal Boss had to settle for a bit of bench-warming for their first two games, but then fired a fifty in his first outing for the franchise - a four-run win over a MS Dhoni-charged Chennai Super Kings - and then tonked a sixth IPL century, off only 58 balls, as they handed a first defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
It's quite the opposite story for RCB and Delhi in our second game, with both having lost three of their first four and desperately searching for a victory to spark their season into life! Both have shown flashes, with RCB only once failing to top 160 with the bat - and that was in their solitary win over Kings XI. Captain Virat Kohli comes into this one on the back of consecutive fifties, including 92 not out in his side's latest defeat to the Mumbai Indians.
Delhi, meanwhile, fired in stunning style when chasing down Mumbai's target of 195 in their only win, but have hardly turned up for their three defeats - including being skittled for 129 in 14.2 overs in their latest 71-run hammering at the hands of Kolkata.
Nitish Rana is in the midst of a purple patch for the appropriately purple-kitted Kolkata, following up a fifty against Delhi with an unbeaten 35 off 27 balls to help see the side home against Rajasthan. Keep an eye out too for another explosive left-hander in promising Daredevils youngster Rishabh Pant.
In the bowling department, RCB quick Umesh Yadav has been incisive, certainly in the opening overs, with seven wickets, while it's the spinners who have proven most threatening for Kings XI - offspin twins Ravichandran Ashwin and Afghanistan's Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Sticking with spin, Delhi legspinner Rahul Tewatia is another to watch out for - he has six wickets at 17.83, including 3-18 in the last game against Kolkata.
Tom Curran and Chris Woakes should be back involved. Both have been expensive so far, going at 11.28 and 10.46 an over, respectively, but they have also pitched in with plenty of wickets - Curran has five in three games, including two in Kolkata's latest win over Rajasthan, while Woakes' eight are enough to see him joint-leading wicket-taker in the tournament with Mumbai legspinner Mayank Markande.
On Saturday, Curran will be in action first, for Kolkata against Kings XI, before Woakes' RCB face Delhi, and the might of his England top-order team-mate, Jason Roy. Roy smashed a match-winning 91 not out for the Daredevils in their only win so far, over Mumbai, but followed it up with a dud score of just one in the defeat to Kolkata, out stumped.
Moeen Ali (RCB) and Liam Plunkett (Delhi) are waiting in the wings too, both hopeful of a first IPL appearance.
A couple more England pros in the studio, with Steve Harmison providing the fast bowler's perspective, while current batting coach with the national side, Mark Ramprakash, is there to big up the batsmen.
Sky Sports will continue to show every IPL game live, so fans from all over can enjoy the best of Indian cricket.
