Kings XI Punjab batsman Martin Guptill, who scored a strokeful half-century in his last match, believes that Royal Challengers Bangalore remain a ‘dangerous side’ despite being placed last in the points table of the IPL 2017.
“They are a dangerous side. If you look through their lineup, the whole way down, they have got match winners everywhere,” Guptill said as quoted by ‘PTI’.
KXIP are currently placed fifth in the points tally with four victories and five defeats. Glenn Maxwell-led Punjab franchise will look for a win desperately when they take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday.
“There have been low-scoring games. We have to take this into account. Once we go out in the middle tomorrow (Friday), we will assess what is happening with the bat and bowl and hopefully, adapt quickly,” said the New Zealander, while talking about the playing conditions in Bangalore.
Guptil has played just two matches for KXIP this season and managed to score 50 and 23 runs against Delhi Daredevils and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively.
Virat Kohli-led Bangalore have already forced out of contention for the IPL playoffs, though Punjab also can’t afford to lose a match at this stage of the cash-rich tournament.
“We started off very well but unfortunately lost some matches in the middle. That can happen in cricket. We lost a few games, which cost us. We have played a couple of good games recently. We are looking to put up a good performance and get another victory,” the 30-year-old batsman added. He is expected to feature in the KXIP playing eleven for their crucial tie against RCB.