With the second week of the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) ended, it’s still difficult to guess that which team is the clear favorite in this season. However, the first match of the third week will be played between two teams who have a winning momentum with them, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Kings Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in Kolkata. While KXIP comprehensively defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Thursday, KKR thrashed RR in their respective last games. As both the teams are having a decent run in the tournament, they comprise of some surprise packages in their teams, let us have a look at the x-factors of both the teams, who can win matches for them in any given situation.

Nitish Rana (KKR)

Nitish Rana was a sensation last season was with Mumbai Indians. he batted in the middle order and played many important innings for the team in blue. This time, he was bought by KKR with the intention of the young occupying the bulk of middle order. The revelation this season was not his batting this season, he has done well and that was expected. It was his spin bowling skills that took everyone by surprise. In the first match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, he dismissed both ABD and Kohli in consecutive balls.

In the last match against Rajasthan Royals, Nitish Rana, in fact, the best spinner for KKR. The spin bowlers for KKR are Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, and Sunil Narine. Rana outperformed all.