What Match 34 of Pepsi IPL 2014 will see table-toppers Kings XI Punjab clash with the Kolkata Knight Riders. KXIP have been on a roll almost right through the season. Barring the defeat at the hands of the Mumbai Indians – which was one of those bad days for the team – KXIP have steamrolled every force that’s stood up against them. They’ve not only won matches, but they’ve won them convincingly too – just like they did in their most recent outing against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru. KKR, meanwhile, come into this contest on the back of a resounding eight-wicket win over the Delhi Daredevils. Prior to that match, the team had lost four matches on the trot, and was starting to fall behind. But the win against the Delhi Daredevils has meant KKR is one of the teams contesting the mid-table battle. When Sunday, May 11, 2014, 4 pm IST Where Barabati Stadium, Cuttack The Protagonists KXIP have had almost all their batsmen score runs at some point this season. However, the bulk of the runs have come from two men – Glenn Maxwell and David Miller. Maxwell’s 460 runs have come at a strike-rate of 204.44, while Miller’s 284 runs have come at a rate of 168.04. On the bowling front, Sandeep Sharma has been very impressive; the 20-year-old has impressed with his ability to swing the ball both ways and has given KXIP early breakthroughs on many occasions. Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa have done well as a pair. In the last two innings they have opened, they have stitched together partnerships of 121 and 106. With so much focus on the men in form, they will be expected to come good yet again. The battle between the wily Sunil Narine and the two M’s in the KXIP line-up promises to make for riveting viewing. Notes from Previous match Kings XI Punjab v Royal Challengers Bangalore: This was yet another clinical performance from KXIP. The openers set up the platform, the middle order fired and the bowlers were relentless against a loaded RCB line-up. The biggest gain for KXIP will be the performance of debutant Shivam Sharma; playing his first ever competitive match, the 20-year-old showed no signs of nerves and did a very good job with his off-spin. Kolkata Knight Riders v Delhi Daredevils: Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir have now been involved in partnerships of 121 and 106 in the last two matches and KKR will be glad that their openers have been giving them solid starts. KKR will also be glad that their batsmen were very smart in not allowing the pressure to build; there were only 25 dot balls in their successful chase of 161. As far as the bowlers are concerned, KKR will take heart that they kept going at the opposition right from the word go (bowling 24 dot balls in the powerplay), struck at regular intervals and did not allow the opposition to build partnerships. Previous Meetings It is six matches apiece in contests between the Kings XI Punjab and the Kolkata Knight Riders. In the most recent meeting between these two teams – in Abu Dhabi on April 26 – KKR restricted KXIP to 132 for nine but still fell short of the target by 23 runs. Trivia Glenn Maxwell and David Miller have together consumed 41.8 percent of the balls faced by Kings XI Punjab so far this season, but have contributed 54.4 percent of the runs scored. An incredible 85 percent of Sandeep Sharma’s 13 wickets this season have been of top-order batsmen. He has dismissed seven openers and has picked up the wicket of the one-drop batsman on four occasions. What Next Kings XI Punjab will be seen in action next in Hyderabad when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 14. The Kolkata Knight Riders, meanwhile, stay back in Cuttack to take on the Mumbai Indians on May 14.