What The two points available for the taking in Match 51 of VIVO IPL 2016 are extremely critical to both the competing teams - Gujarat Lions and Kolkata Knight Riders. Both teams have played 12 matches each and have 14 points against their names. KKR are better placed among the two teams, but only due to their superior Net Run Rate in comparison to Gujarat Lions’ NRR. Both teams started the season well before losing steam at some stage along the journey. The Lions, in particular, had a rocket start to their maiden IPL season, winning six of their first seven matches. But since then, they’ve won only one of their next five matches and are faced with a pretty stiff equation now. In their previous match, the Lions were decimated by Royal Challengers Bangalore; they lost by a whopping 144 runs – the biggest margin by which a team has lost in the IPL. However, in this match, they will be boosted by the return of their captain Suresh Raina, who missed the previous match owing to the birth of his first child. The Kolkata Knight Riders have blown hot and cold in recent times. What will be a cause of concern for the KKR team management is that the team hasn’t quite converted their recent home matches to points. KKR have only managed only one win in the last three matches they’ve played at their fortress which is Eden Gardens; that has to a certain extent hurt the team’s chances of progressing to the Playoffs. Given how tight the race to the Playoffs is shaping up to be, KKR will want to ideally win both of their matches and control their fate, rather than leave it to results from other matches. On Thursday, KKR will be without one of their key performers this season; Andre Russell, who has scored 188 impact runs and taken 15 wickets, is unavailable because of injury, and KKR will need the rest of the players to take additional responsibility to cover his absence. When 19 May 2016, 2000 Hrs IST Where Green Park, Kanpur Weather Temperature: Max 40°c, Min 37°c Humidity: Max 39% Wind: 15kmph The Protagonists The contribution of the opening batsmen has had a direct bearing on the success or otherwise of both the teams. When they’ve clicked, the Gujarat Lions openers – Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith - have blitzed their opposition at the top and put their team in a commanding position from the very beginning. KKR have operated differently; their openers – Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa - have generally set up a platform after which their explosive middle-order – comprising Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan and Suryakumar Yadav - have cut loose. Head to Head When the Gujarat Lions and Kolkata Knight Riders met in Kolkata earlier this season, it was the visitors who prevailed; the Gujarat Lions restricted the home side to 158-4 and then chased down the runs quite comfortably, winning by 5 wickets with two overs to spare. Trivia The Green Park in Kanpur will become the 33rd venue to play host to the IPL. Virat Kohli has displaced Suresh Raina as the IPL’s top run-getter; Raina needs 15 more runs to become the second player to score 4000 runs in the IPL, and a further 3 runs to get back to the perch of the list of top run-getters in the IPL. What Next The Gujarat Lions play out their final fixture of the season against defending champions Mumbai Indians at Kanpur on May 21, while Kolkata Knight Riders will figure in the penultimate game of the league season when they come up against Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 22.