Not much separates the two teams. Both have been inconsistent,below-par and languish in the bottom half of the table. As they clash on Sunday at the PCA Stadium,the question on the minds of the respective skippers will be: who will reignite the campaign for their sides? Cut to Yuvraj Singh,who played for Kings XI Punjab in the first few seasons,and now turns out for Pune Warriors. The PCA Stadium is his backyard,and understandably,much of the attention during Saturday's practice session was on him. He had missed Pune's last two matches with a back injury,but he batted and bowled at the nets,and his teammate Aaron Finch suggested that he would be fit to play against his old team. "Yuvraj's back is much better now," Finch said. "As you saw,he trained hard and he should be fine for Sunday." Searching for balance That could be the spur Pune need,to turn their season around from a start that has seen them lose four out of six matches. They have been grappling with issues concerning the balance of the side and if Yuvraj can spend some time out in the middle on a flat PCA pitch,Pune can build their batting around him. Finch,Steve Smith and Ross Taylor will also need to chip in to ensure Pune stay in the hunt. KXIP thrashed Pune in their previous encounter this season,in Pune. The KXIP bowlers had then done the trick and their top-order batting ensured KXIP won with plenty to spare. But since then,KXIP haven't really managed to make the same impact,grappling with their own batting woes,especially the form of skipper Adam Gilchrist at the top. Marsh boost But their top order will be bolstered by Shaun Marsh joining the team after recovering from a ruptured tendon in his knee,an injury he picked up playing for Australia A in February. Marsh has been a consistent performer for Punjab ever since the first season. Who between the two returning left-handers makes the biggest impact could be the question that decides the outcome of Sunday's contest.
