In the 24th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, the bottom-placed Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) locking horns with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. KXIP will be expected to come out all guns blazing to get their stuttering campaign back on track especially after suffering a 69-run loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Following five losses and a solitary win, Punjab is standing at the bottle of the table as compared to KKR is at fourth with six points from three wins.
Notwithstanding a couple of reverses, KKR can be expecting their third IPL title this season, with many of their players striking form as the tournament nearing towards the business-end. Shubman Gill has already created an impression as an opener and now KKR have found another option to open the inning with Rahul Tripathi, who will enter the game with some confidence.
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Meanwhile, Punjab will again rely on their trusted opening pair of skipper, KL Rahul, and Mayank Agarwal. If Chris Gayle recovers from his food poisoning, he can be expected to play his first game of the season. The misfiring Glenn Maxwell is likely to make way for Gayle. Nicholas Pooran’s exploits with the bat is a positive for KXIP and he will again look to play his shots freely.
Kings XI Punjab (KXIP)
Gayle was on the verge of playing his first game of IPL 2020 but missed out due to a stomach bug, revealed head coach Anil Kumble. If recovered, he can be expected to replace misfiring Maxwell in the line-up as KXIP continue the hunt for their ideal XI. Given the ground dimensions, KXIP could be tempted to bring in an extra spinner for this game.
Probable XI: Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul (C), Nicholas Pooran (wk), Prabhsimran Singh/Sarfraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Arshdeep Singh/M Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Sheldon Cottrell, Mohammad Shami
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
It wouldn’t be entirely surprising if KKR sticks to the same combination that earned them a come-from-behind win against CSK. Though, just like KXIP, they might also be considering an extra spinner for the venue. A likely comeback for Kuldeep Yadav on the cards, then?
Probable XI: Rahul Tripathi, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik (C, wk), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy
