In the 46th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be locking horns with the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday. Despite suffering six losses in their first seven games, KXIP has now won four consecutive wins. They have been pulling not some never-wrecking games, but they still lack in finding the balance between aggression and consistency.
With KL Rahul and Chris Gayle in fine form at the top of the order, which makes them well-equipped to mount a late run for a playoff spot. On the other hand, KKR demolished the Delhi Capitals (DC) in their previous game, with Nitish Rana and Sunil Narine finally striking gold with the bat in hand. With their two overseas pacers firing on all cylinders, the Kolkata Knight Riders can alleviate the pressure on them with a season-defining win in Sharjah.
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The last time these two teams faced off in the IPL, the Knight Riders pulled off a heist, with Punjab failed to chase down 22 off last 18 balls. Rahul would love to exact revenge upon the two-time IPL champions, but Eoin Morgan and co look well-balanced on paper.
As the two sides prepare for a thrilling encounter, here’s a look at three key player battles to keep an eye on.
#1. Varun Chakravarthy vs KL Rahul
Despite having the burden of leading the team with wicket-keeping, KL Rahul has not flagged with the bat which has also helped KXIP to win two consecutive matches. KKR has, in Varun Chakravarthy, the man with the best wicket haul in IPL 2020 so far and the clash between these two on Monday would be quite the face-off.
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With Rahul scoring 567 runs off nine matches in IPL 2020, with a strike rate of 133.41 and Rashid scalping 12 wickets from ten matches at an economy of 7.05. He became the only bowler to take a 5-wicket haul in IPL 2020 in the last game against DC. He has been among the wickets in every match and has been instrumental in many KKR successes.
#2. Eoin Morgan vs Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami has been not been able to produce the performance he was expected ahead of IPL 2020. He will be optimistic to get his form back especially against KKR skipper, Eoin Morgan, whose sublime stroke play can ruin the bowling figures of some of the best in the business. Iyer is amongst the top run-scorers in the ongoing edition, having scored 295 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 128.26. He has been ensuring some momentum towards the end for KKR and he is yet to hit the heights of his capability.
#3. Shubman Gill vs Ravi Bishnoi
Shubman Gill is quite the enigma for KKR. He holds the lowest profile, quite happy for the glitz and glamour to be on the superstars while he gets on with his job. He has amassed 321 runs from 11 matches with the help of three half-centuries. In IPL history, the DC batsman has played 38 matches for 820 runs at a strike rate of 123.49.
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Ravi Bishnoi has been as consistent for KXIP as he has claimed 10 wickets in 11 matches but they all have been important wickets, at critical stages, and maintained the economy is 7.43. Bishnoi will have his task cut out against Gill and the KKR batting.
