The Punjabis are in the house as Kings XI Punjab takes on Virat Kohli led Royal Challengers Bangalore in Dubai.
It’s the battle of supremacy between north and south as these two teams look forward to claiming their maiden IPL trophy in the desert.
It was close but no cigar for KXIP as they started this season with a super over loss against Delhi Capitals. Opener Mayank Agarwal was smoking it all over the park as he single-handedly took the team on the brink of victory.
RCB, on the other hand, won their first match of the season for a change against a fighting Sunrisers Hyderabad. Debutant Devdutt Padikkal and Mr. 360, ABD starred with the bat, whereas Yuzvendra Chahal and Navdeep Saini were fantastic with the ball in hand.
KXIP has a good mixture of youth and experience in their ranks and they would want to claim their first win to put their season into next gear. RCB have been the perennial underachievers in the IPL but this team looks the most balanced in years. This well could be “Ee Sala Cup Namde” (this time, the cup is ours).
Virat Kohli and his merry men are looking mighty fine this year, whereas KL Rahul will look forward to inspiring his troops for a big win against his dear friend and the Indian captain. Who will claim the bragging rights?
Match Toss Time: 17:30 Local (19:00 IST)
Match Start Time: 18:00 Local (19:30 IST)
Match Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
Weather Report
The weather in Dubai on the matchday is expected to be clear with no chances of rain whatsoever. Temperature is likely to be hovering around the 35-39 degree Celcius range.
Humidity is expected to be on the lower side for a change, which would make the task of players a bit easier.
Pitch
Both the teams have had a taste of this stadium as they played their first match here. The pitch tends to be slightly on the lower side with plenty of turn and grip on offer for the spinners as well as for pacers, who have slower balls in their arsenal.
Dew is expected to play a major role in the second innings with batting becoming comparatively easy. The team winning the toss will definitely look to bat second to assess the conditions and take full advantage of the wet ball.
Team News
Kohli doesn’t like to tinker with a winning combination and RCB may as well start with the same men, who started the first game of the season.
There are no injury concerns for Anil Kumble’s men. However, they may change some personnel in their wobbly middle order.
Probable Playing Xl
Kings XI Punjab (KXIP): KL Rahul(C & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Sarfaraz Khan, Krishnappa Gowtham, Chris Jordan, Mohammed Shami, Sheldon Cottrell, Ravi Bishnoi
Royal Challengers Bangalore (KKR): Devdutt Padikkal, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli (C), AB de Villiers, Josh Philippe (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Dale Steyn, Navdeep Saini, Umesh Yadav
KXIP vs RCB Fantasy Team
KL Rahul (C&wk), Aaron Finch, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal, Shivam Dube, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sheldon Cottrell, Navdeep Saini
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