IPL 2018, SRH vs KXIP: 5 talking points

#3 The KXIP middle-order was dismal

Karun Nair and the other KXIP middle-order batsmen will have to perform better in the upcoming matches

KXIP have five wins in the tournament so far but in almost 4 of those 5 wins, their top order has been the reason behind the powerful totals posted. The likes of Chris Gayle and KL Rahul played brilliantly but what about the middle order?

Barring Karun Nair and Mayank Agarwal, on a few occasions, none of KXIP's middle-order has been able to tick. The likes of Yuvraj Singh, Aaron Finch and David Miller have been lacklustre.

Against SRH, Punjab's openers were dismissed early and the middle order hardly did anything. Finch, Manoj Tiwary, even Ashwin were dismissed cheaply. Even Karun Nair or Mayank Agarwal could add much. The final 8 wickets for KXIP fell for just 62 runs.

So far, more than 47% of KXIP's total runs in the tournament have been scored by Chris Gayle and KL Rahul. There will certainly come occasions when these two may not click. During those moments, if the middle-order doesn't click then KXIP are bound to be in trouble.