Champions League 2014 Match 13 prediction: Punjab (62%) expected to defeat Knights (38%)

By Shashi Mittal On September 25, 2014

Prediction methodology

Prediction: Punjab (62%) predicted to defeat Knights (38%) (Match scorecard)

Team form

Kings XI Punjab: The Kings have won both their matches in this tournament, and that too while chasing in both of them.
Northern Districts: The Northern Districts had to go through the qualifiers first, where they won all three of their matches. In the main round, they won their first match against Cape Cobras, while they lost their second match to Hobart Hurricanes.

Venue

Mohali is not a typical high-scoring venue for Twenty20 matches, and the average first innings score at Mohali in this format since 2013 has been below the overall first innings average. Its big size and relatively slow outfield makes scoring a little more difficult for the batsmen. The team batting second on this ground has won two-thirds of the time since 2008, and three-fourths of the time since 2012. All the three matches played in this tournament so far have been won by the team batting second. It is therefore quite possible that the toss plays a crucial role in the outcome of the next two matches to be played here as well.

Prediction

It should not come as a surprise that Kings XI Punjab are heavily favored to win this match. They have arguably the best batting line-up among all the teams in the tournament, which has the ability to chase down any score no matter how big it is. Thisara Perera's all-round performance has been a big boost as well. Their only weakness is their bowling, which has a tendency to sometimes leak more runs than desirable, and Northern Districts will be on the watch to exploit any loopholes in their bowling attack.

The Northern Districts had been on a four match winning streak before they fell to ground in their previous match against Hobart Hurricanes, which they lost by a margin of 86 runs. Their better than expected performance certainly took their opponents by a surprise, and they are one of the favorites to reach the knock-out stage of the tournament. For now though, they need to conquer the Kings at the Kings' home ground, a challenge which may turn out to be an uphill task for them.