Kings Xl Punjab will lock horns with the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, which will mark the 24th match of the Indian Premier League 2020. KKR will come into the match after a close win against the Chennai Super Kings. While, KXIP again ended up on the losing side in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad and are now placed bottom of the table with just one win from their six games played.
Kings Xl Punjab would be feeling unfortunate to be at the bottom of the table after some stellar performances. Though, the stars do not seem aligned in their favor this season as they somehow ended up on the losing side irrespective of their bold performances. Though the match against SRH was one-sided as SRH after winning the toss elected to bat first and notched up a towering total of 201 with the help of their star opener Jonny Bairstow’s stunning 97.
The KXIP batting failed miserably as the openers KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal were dismissed early in the innings. Though the West Indian Nicholas Pooran showed great resistance by scoring 77 runs of a mere 37 balls. He was short of partners and the team ended up on the losing side by 69 runs.
Kolkata Knight Riders will come on the back of a close finish against the CSK. KKR after winning the toss chose to bat first and managed to put up a score of 167. The score seemed above par as the pitch seemed to hold up and the spinners were having a good time. Though top three provided an excellent start for the CSK and looked like the Old Daddies were heading into another comfortable. But the timely wicket of Shane Watson made way for the collapse of CSK and KKR eventually snatched the win from the hands of CSK by 10 runs.
Match Toss Time: 13:30 Local (15:00 IST)
Match Start Time: 14:00Local (15:30 IST)
Match Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Weather Report
The conditions are well in favor of cricket as clear skies are reported once again. The temperature is expected to be slightly on the lower, around the 30 degree range. While the humidity is also expected to be on the lower side, with maximum humidity expected to reach 51%.
Pitch
The pitch in Abu Dhabi has been good to the bowlers when compared to the pitch in Dubai and Sharjah. As seen the match between KKR and CSK the spinners did have a good time as the pitch was seen holding up, especially towards the middle overs of the second innings.
With the match scheduled to be played in the afternoon. The due factor can completely be taken out of the equation.
Team News
KXIP have not reported any injuries. Though the team has been fiddling with the playing Xl as they are still struggling to find the winning combination. With Arshdeep Singh doing a great job for KXIP he is likely to feature once again in the playing Xl. Though the form of Glenn Maxwell has been of concern and the Australian could likely be replaced by Chris Gayle.
Kolkata Knight Riders on the other side seem to have gelled together well as a team and look well balanced. With the team doing a wonderful job in the last few matches, the same Xl that won the game against CSK is likely to be used again.
Probable Playing Xl
Kings Xl Punjab (KXIP): KL Rahul (c), Mayank Agarwal, Mandeep Singh, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell/ Chris Gayle, Simran Singh (wk), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Sheldon Cottrell
Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR): Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), Eoin Morgan, Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy
KXIP vs KKR Fantasy Team
KL Rahul, Nicholas Pooran, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Mohammad Shami, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Arshdeep Singh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfEVeh2Vb5g&feature=youtu.be
Captain Picks: KL Rahul (KXIP), Andre Russell (KKR)
Vice- Captain Picks: Nitish Rana (KKR), Nicholas Pooran (KXIP)
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