The 13th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 will be played between Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Thursday. Both teams have had identical starts to their IPL campaigns – a dominating win sandwiched between two close losses including a Super Over heartbreak.
Despite being termed as hot-favorites to win the tournament, MI’s batsmen have failed to show consistent performances, however, the team would be happy with Ishan Kishan’s breakthrough knock against RCB although he did fall one run short of a well-deserved century. There is a lot of room for improvement in the bowling department as well with Jasprit Bumrah looking rusty.
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On the other hand, Punjab’s openers KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal are in the form of their lives with both scoring a century each. However, they will be hoping for more from the likes of Glenn Maxwell and Karun Nair, who are yet to fire in this competition. The last time these two sides faced off in IPL 2019, Kieron Pollard pulled off an impossible win despite KL Rahul’s maiden IPL ton. Mumbai Indians also lead in the head-to-head between these two teams with 13 wins to KXIP’s 11.
Let us take you all to the Probable Fantasy XI you can create with the following tips:-
Wicket-Keepers
With none of the players having much of a practice, KL Rahul seems to be a better pick as he has been known for making a strong comeback and he will be much more effective on slow pitches this season. However, for MI, Quinton de Kock is expected to keep wickets as he is known for playing match-winning knocks, but in order to maintain the balance of the IPL Fantasy XI, Rahul seems better pick.
Batsmen
Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, Suryakumar Yadav, and Rohit Sharma have always been the prime contenders for the fantasy cricket. Even, Aaron Finch can also be added to fantasy cricket and that will depend on the balance of the squad. Apart from them, there are some useful batsmen in the line-ups as well, like Gurkeerat Mann, and Chris Lynn (if he plays).
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All-rounders
There are some really reliable all-rounders in both the teams but citing the slow pitch in Abu Dhabi, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, and Glenn Maxwell seems to be the perfect fit. Apart from them, the good all-rounders for IPL fantasy cricket is James Neesham.
Bowlers
Both the teams don’t have decent bowling line-ups but they have managed to do a decent job. Bowlers like Mohammad, Trent Boult, Sheldon Cotrell, Ravi Bishnoi, and Jasprit Bumrah become the obvious choices for the IPL Fantasy XI on the sticky track of Abu Dhabi. Apart from them, some crucial bowlers can be like, Rahul Chahar and M Ashwin.
Fantasy Suggestion #1
Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, Mayank Agarwal (vc), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Glenn Maxwell (vc), Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravi Bishnoi, and Rahul Chahar
Fantasy Suggestion #2
Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul (c), Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma (vc), Suryakumar Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Shami, Trent Boult, Ravi Bishnoi, and Rahul Chahar
