ABOUT THE MATCH:
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.
MATCH PREVIEW:
KING’S XI PUNJAB:
1. While Kings XI Punjab will be pleased that they finally managed to get their death bowling right, giving away only 40 runs from the last four against Sunrisers Hyderabad, their batting performance would totally disappoint them. That’s largely because it was their batting that kept them afloat in most of the matches and things will not be easy for Kings XI Punjab with that feeling of heat as well.
2. In the last couple of games, Mayank Agarwal looked fine, but didn’t really manage to kick in and get a big score. On the other side, KL Rahul now seems to feel the burden of captaincy and that is reflected in his own batting success as his strategy has gone from fearless to cautious. There have already been debates about whether or not to bring Chris Gayle into the frame, and in this upcoming match, we will finally see the Universe Boss taking the field.
3. Kings XI Punjab have a few positives to draw as well, despite a dismal batting performance in the previous match. After his belligerent knock, Nicholas Pooran, who happened to be the lone fighter, would be more relaxed and could prove a trump card for his team in the upcoming matches.
PROBABLE PLAYING XI:
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.
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS:
1. It was an outstanding blend of imagination, ability, and strategies that helped Kolkata Knight Riders eventually end up ahead against Chennai Super Kings. After a series of failures for Sunil Narine at the top, he was sent to drive the run-rate in the middle-order. Although the move did not really pay off, as Narine did not take too many deliveries and added 17 runs to the total, it did not really make any difference whatsoever.
2. As he picked up Shane Watson’s all-important wicket, the decision to hold Sunil Narine until the very end paid rich dividends and did not allow MS Dhoni to score many in the same over. Varun Chakravarthy was also brilliant alongside him, and against all odds, KKR ‘s spin pair turned the match in their favour. The Kolkata Knight Riders appeared to be battling against the experienced top-order of Chennai Super Kings, consisting of Faf du Plessis, Shane Watson, and Ambati Rayudu, earlier in the second innings. However, given the way all the bowlers have bowled for KKR in the tournament so far, the management won’t be bothered about that.
3. One of the main concerns for the Kolkata Knight Riders will be the shape and batting role of their skipper. While Dinesh Karthik was brilliant with his choices and the gloves, he failed to deliver with the bat. With his shot range, he didn’t look confident and that’s something he will have to focus on before getting into the business end of the tournament. He has plenty of experience up his sleeve and could come out sooner rather than later with a strong innings.
PROBABLE PLAYING XI:
Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (c)(wk), Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy, Kamlesh Nagarkoti.
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.
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.
PROBABLE TOP PERFORMERS:
KING’S XI PUNJAB:
1. KL Rahul
For the Kings XI Punjab, KL Rahul is the leading run-scorer so far. At an average of 63 and a strike rate of 137, he has scored 313 runs in 6 matches.
2. Chris Gayle
At 41 on average and a strike rate of 154, Chris Gayle scored 490 runs in 13 matches last season. Even though this year he has not played a lot of cricket, in the last few weeks he must have had a fair amount of practise.
3. Mayank Agarwal
At an average of 47 and a strike rate of 162, Mayank Agarwal collected 281 runs in the tournament. In the last match, he was unfortunate and ran out, but with the bat he can make a difference.
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS:
1. Andre Russell
In the four innings that he bowled, Andre Russell picked up five wickets. Although he has scored only 50 runs so far in the tournament, once he gets into his range, he can be a game-changer.
2. Varun Chakravarthy
Varun Chakravarthy was strong with the ball and in four games he picked up 5 wickets and got an economy rate below 8.
3. Eoin Morgan
Eoin Morgan has scored 143 runs in 5 matches and has a tournament strike rate of 143.
HEAD TO HEAD:
1. Total Played– 25.
2. KKR Won– 17.
3. KXIP Won– 8.
4. Tie– 0.
5. No Result– 0.
BROADCAST DETAILS:
1. Tv – Star Sports Network.
2. Live Streaming – Disney+ Hotstar.
3. Match Timings –10th October 2020 at 03:30 PM IST (06:00 PM local time) (02:00 PM UTC).
PROBABLE WINNING TEAM:
In the Indian Premier League 2020, we are almost at the halfway point, and going by the looks of it, the second half will be exciting. With yet another bad display, Kings XI Punjab continued to lag and would need to pick up quickly to avoid being the first team to be eliminated.
Kings XI Punjab have a tough path ahead, with a win needed in almost every game, but they definitely have the team to get across the line. Next up, they have a daunting task in which they are scheduled to face Kolkata Knight Riders, who are coming off a fantastic win over Chennai Super Kings. Every match is gaining significance as we reach the back-end of the competition. For both sides, the upcoming match is going to be crucial, more so for Kings XI Punjab, and definitely a mouth-watering contest is on the cards. The match will be played on Saturday, 10 October 2020, at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
