Kings XI Punjab celebrated an unlikely victory over Mumbai after losing five matches on the trot. The unexpected victory gave a fresh lease of life to the floundering campaign of the franchise, owned in part by Bollywood actress Preity Zinta.
Punjab`s strength lies in their destructive batting but the line-up`s inconsistency has been a problem for the team.
New find Paul Valthaty and skipper Adam Gilchrist form an intimidating opening combination but the duo`s inability to be consistent has cost the team dearly.
In the middle-order, however, Shaun Marsh has been doing his job well, notching up three fifties so far but the Australian needs good starts from the openers to build on.
But further down, Dinesh Karthik and David Hussey have yet to step up and Punjab would need them to strike form quickly.
On the bowling front, left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt has been a good find for the team and it was proved by his four-wicket haul against Mumbai in Punjab`s match.
In the pace department, Praveen Kumar has had a decent run but given the situation Punjab finds itself in, they will have to be consistent on every front to have any chance of progress.
Kochi, on the other hand, have had a roller-coaster of a ride so far. Most recently, after a couple of back-to-back wins, they were handed a rather crushing nine-wicket defeat by Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Mahela Jayawardene`s men floundered in batting despite having big-hitters such as Brad Hodge and Brendon McCullum in the ranks.
All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is struggling too, adding to Kochi`s problems as his explosive batting comes in handy down the order.
The bowling doesn`t look any more formidable with R P Singh being a major letdown.