MATCH DETAILS:

Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders will play the 24th game of the 2020 Indian Premier League ( IPL) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

This game is scheduled to begin at 03:30 PM IST (local time at 02:00 PM) (UTC at 10:00 AM). Star Sports Network (available in English, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Bengali) will telecast the game. On Disney+ Hotstar, live streaming will also be available.

PREVIEW FOR DREAM11 FANTASY:

You can not afford to let it slip away when you have a game under your fingertips. The Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) must have known that the hard way against the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Rajasthan Royals (RR) had thrown away the matches. Losses obviously left them perplexed in those two games, caused them to doubt their team combinations, and forced them to try out too many players, undermining stability.

They have failed since then to find the winning momentum. With just one victory in six games, it seems like things are getting out of control.

They will need a huge turnaround from here if they are to stay alive in the tournament, as they gear up to face the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their next game. The Knights won an inspiring victory against the Super Kings of Chennai (CSK) and won three out of the five games they played. By winning this match, they will be a confident unit going into this match and will expect to climb higher up the ladder.

WEATHER REPORT:

For the first two hours of play, the temperature would be about 35 degrees Celsius and would undoubtedly test the team batting second. The temperature is supposed to come down as the evening progresses, but the players will still be challenged by the high humidity levels.

PITCH REPORT:

During the course of the 40 overs, the track at this venue is almost the same. However, when it slows down in the second half by a small margin, it becomes tricky to chase big totals. If they are to be successful, it is vital for the chasing teams to get a great start.

INJURY AND AVAILABILITY NEWS:

There are no availability and injury issues regarding players from both sides.

PROBABLE PLAYING XIs OF KING’S XI PUNJAB:

KL Rahul (c), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Mandeep Singh, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Simran Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh/Deepak Hooda, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammed Shami, Sheldon Cottrell.

BENCH:

Glenn Maxwell, Karun Nair, Chris Jordan, Murugan Ashwin, Arshdeep Singh/Deepak Hooda, Hardus Viljoen, Jagadeesha Suchith, Ishan Porel, James Neesham, Tajinder Singh, Darshan Nalkande, Sarfaraz Khan, Krishanppa Gowtham, Harpreet Brar.

PROBABLE PLAYING OF KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS:

Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (c)(wk), Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy, Kamlesh Nagarkoti.

BENCH:

Sandeep Warrier, Kuldeep Yadav, Siddhesh Lad, Nikhil Naik, Chris Green, Prasidh Krishna, Lockie Ferguson, Rinku Singh, Ali Khan, Tom Banton, Manimaran Siddharth.

CAPTAIN AND VICE CAPTAIN SELECTION:

1. Captain Options– KL Rahul and Andre Russell.

2. Vice-Captain Options– Shubman Gill and Chris Gayle.

DREAM11 TEAM FOR KING’S XI PUNJAB Vs KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS:

1. Wicket Keeper– KL Rahul (c) and Nicholas Pooran.

2. Batsmen– Eoin Morgan, Rahul Tripathi, Shubman Gill (vc) and Mayank Agarwal.

3. All-Rounders– Andre Russell.

4. Bowlers– Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi.

*Disclaimer: A team here is picked based on the perception, analysis, and gut feeling of the author. When you select your team, analyze the points mentioned to arrive at your own decision.*