Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings, 32nd Match - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

After a couple of unexpected losses, Kolkata Knight Riders returned to winning ways and the top-4 of the points table courtesy a come-from-behind win in Bangalore. Gautam Gambhir may have come out of that fixture with a lighter purse but will be heartened by the fact that his team now plays a succession of games at their fortress - Eden Gardens starting with today's clash against Kings XI Punjab, who are coming off a win against table-toppers Gujarat Lions themselves. An intriguing contest awaits. Welcome to Match 32 of the IPL. Here on, every point matters. Didn't it always?

On evidence, this This looks a rather sluggish wicket. KKR haven't lost a wicket here but the spinners have done a very good job in not allowing the bowlers to get away. Murali Vijay has already bowled Axar Patel, Swapnil Singh and Gurkeerat Singh Mann. The run-rate is hovering around 6.5 rpo. Something's got to give. There will also be a readjustment of target in the players' minds.

Kolkata's death bowling has been dismal, and cost them the game against Delhi Daredevils. In their last outing, against Royal Challengers Bangalore, it took exceptional efforts from Andre Russell and Yusuf Pathan to earn a much-needed victory.

Kings XI on the other hand, made a stunning comeback in the game against table-toppers Gujarat Lions, thanks to a hat-trick from Axar Patel, to inject life into their dying campaign. With Murali Vijay taking over captaincy, good run of form from David Miller could help Kings XI well and truly revive their season. Our man, Akash Sarkar has settled in the Eden Gardens press box. You can read his preview of the game here as we build up to the toss.

Oh and by the way, in case you didn't receive the cricbuzz alert (check your phone settings) the mighty hash (Hashim Amla) has joined the Kings XI squad. He replaces Shaun Marsh. Unlikely he will play today though.

Vijay cites the rain forecast as a reason for bowling first. Doesn't matter really. Rain or no rain, teams love chasing in T20s. Gambhir is ok batting as well. He reckons the pitch is dry and should remain same throughout the game.

The hosts bring in Shakib Al Hasan and Brad Hogg for this game, leaving out Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine. A couple of changes for Vijay's men as well. Manan Vohra returns in place of the injured Shaun Marsh. KC Cariappa makes way for Swapnil Singh.

- Just the three foreign players for Punjab today!

Teams:

Kings XI Punjab (Playing XI): Murali Vijay(c), Manan Vohra, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Axar Patel, Mohit Sharma, Sandeep Sharma, Swapnil Singh

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Robin Uthappa(w), Gautam Gambhir(c), Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Andre Russell, Suryakumar Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Umesh Yadav, Brad Hogg, Morne Morkel

Gambhir has been remarkably proactive in picking horses for courses. The team routinely switches the combination of their foreign players according to the conditions on offer whilst keeping their Indian contingent largely stable. Is this the recipe for success? What do you think? Send in your views and comments with Tweets @kaushik_cb. We'll feature a collection of the best here.

Alright, Uthappa and Gambhir have walked out. Sandeep Sharma has the ball. Let's play!