IPL 2017 | KKR vs RPS, Match Preview: Kolkata Knight Riders look to halt Rising Pune Supergiants resurgence at Eden Gardens

Kolkata Knight Riders shall be locking horns against Rising Pune Supergiant in Eden Garden at Kolkata later on Wednesday evening. The match is scheduled to commence at 8 pm.

Kolkata Knight Riders have won all three games against Rising Pune Supergiants in the IPL so far. KKR had a massive 8 wicket victory over RPS in the match played out at the Maharashtra Cricket Stadium, Pune.Skipper Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa batting heroics were instrumental in KKR's victory.

Kolkata Knight Riders are coming into the match at the back of a loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Despite that loss, KKR are well on their way to qualify for the eliminators. 

Kolkata Knight Riders have been in splendid form all season courtesy the team firing on all cylinders.Skipper Gautam Gambhir has given his team solid starts upfront with Sunil Narine playing his hand with those quickfire cameos.

Robin Uttappa is having one of his best IPL season and has been the lynchpin of the KKR batting.Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan have also produced moments of brilliance with the willow. Andre Russel's absence has been filled in well by Colin Grandhomme. The bowling attack is potent and has a beautiful blend to it.

The pace troika of Umesh Yadav, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Trent Boult have made regular breakthrough's for their team all through the season. The spin attack spearheaded by West Indian ace offie Sunil Narine has been ably supported by young leggie Kuldeep Yadav and Piyush Chawla.

Rising Pune Supergiant has risen like the phoenix from the ashes and made themselves a contender for the knockouts.Pune had lost some momentum before coming back strongly in their last few matches. Captain Steven Smith and Ajinkya Rahane were among the runs in the initial matches.

MS Dhoni who looked out of sorts in the first few games has struck form by producing a whirlwind knock against Sunrisers Hyderabad.Pune would be boosted by the ominous form exhibited by their star allrounder Ben Stokes who turned around their fortunes with a sensational century against Gujarat Lions.

Pune's biggest plus has been the improvement in their bowling unit which leaked too many runs for their liking. The inclusion of Jaydev Unadkat and Washington Sundar has strengthed. Meanwhile, Imran Tahir has been their wicket-taking spinner all through this season.

So it is all to play for in this contest between two in-form teams who both would look to aim for a win and vie for a top-two finish in the league standings.