Struggling for consistency, Kings XI Punjab will have their task cut out when they take on in-form Chennai Super Kings in Saturday's IPL match at the Chepauk in Chennai.
Kings XI have struggled for a major part of their campaign this season, although their morale will be boosted by the tie-breaker win over table-toppers Rajasthan Royals in their last game.
Their batting, which has looked wobbly, managed to draw even, chasing 192 runs for victory in the humdinger. However, a concern which hasn't subsided even after that was Australian swashbuckler Glenn Maxwell's indifferent form.
Maxwell, despite having a good World Cup, has failed to fire in the IPL. He and skipper Virender Sehwag will have to rediscover form for Punjab's batting to have an edge, even though David Miller and Shaun Marsh have had a decent run.
The bowling also faces a similar problem with pace spearhead Mitchell Johnson struggling to cause the kind of damage that he is known for.
On the other hand, Chennai Super Kings have lost just one of their five matches so far and are currently second on the table with four wins.
Kings XI have lost three of their five games and are placed third from the bottom right now.
It's been smooth sailing so far for Chennai, the two-time former champions. The batting has an intimidating look to it and the entire top half has contributed well.
Although New Zealand dasher Brendon McCullum's bat hasn't produced a big knock in the last couple of matches, he remains a crucial cog in the opening slot.
The opener, who smashed an unbeaten hundred against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the season's first and only century so far, has accumulated 166 runs in five games.
Suresh Raina too struck form after a topsy-turvy start and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has chipped in whenever needed, making batting a massive strength for Chennai.
Their bowling has also delivered quite well despite not having a star spearhead.
Veteran Ashish Nehra, who leads the pace pack, came up with an outstanding effort in the previous match against Royal Challengers Bangalore by chipping off four wickets for a mere 10 runs in his four overs.
