Pune look to get combination right against struggling Kings XI

For Kevin Pietersen, outspoken to a point that he ruffled feathers, being unassuming seemed strange. Maybe the happenings of 2014 --- when he was thrown out of the England side, taught him to be gentle with words.

Previously, a query on the struggling Kings XI Punjab would have evoked some wit from the Englishman, but on Saturday he chose to focus on the prowess of Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell and David Miller. He did go on to add that any team could look good on paper but needed individuals to perform.

For Rising Pune Supergiants, finding match winners isn’t a problem, they have plenty in the XI and few on the bench, so skipper MS Dhoni will be looking to find the best combination.

With three international skippers— Steve Smith, Faf du Plessis and Pietersen — apart from Dhoni, leadership and experience isn’t a problem, and Pietersen pointed out that everybody was at peace with their roles.

“It’s fun because you are able to draw on resources and experience. No one pushes to do anything or strives to be the best leader, we just go out and play. MS is the skipper, he makes all the decisions. All we can do is hand out information that he can use if he wants and we back whatever decision he makes.”

Kings XI are once again off to a disastrous start, having lost two games on the trot. With one win and a loss, Pune will look to get back to winning ways. After the loss to Gujarat Lions, Dhoni said he would look at the team composition and instead of wholesale changes, there might be some changes.

RP Singh and Ishant Sharma might give way to Albie Morkel or Ishwar Pandey, both known to hit the deck hard and generate extra bounce.