Match 46 of the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) pits the Kolkata Knight Riders against the Kings XI Punjab at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday.
Despite starting the 2020 IPL with six losses in seven games, the Punjab Kings XI have come back with four straight wins. They were coming out on the wrong side of last-ball thrillers in the first half of the tournament, but KXIP has managed to strike a balance between aggression and consistency.
This had brought them to fifth place on the 2020 IPL points table. With KL Rahul and Chris Gayle in good shape at the top of the order, KXIP appears to be well equipped to mount a late run for a playoff spot, so there are quite a few teams in dispute.
One of the teams is the Kolkata Knight Riders, who currently occupy the coveted fourth place. Despite having some personnel concerns, KKR demolished the Delhi Capitals in their previous game, with Nitish Rana and Sunil Narine finally clinching gold with bat in hand. With their two pacemakers overseas firing at full throttle, the Kolkata Knight Riders can ease the pressure on them with a season-defining win in Sharjah.
The last time these two teams met at the IPL, the Kolkata Knight Riders carried out a heist, and KXIP failed to chase 22 of 18 balls. KL Rahul would love to get revenge on the two-time IPL champions, but Eoin Morgan and company look well balanced on paper.
This should be a great match to start the final leg of the league stage at IPL 2020.
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Squads to choose from
Kolkata Knight Riders
Dinesh Karthik (C), Shivam Mavi, Tom Banton, Sandeep Warrier, Kuldeep Yadav, Eoin Morgan, Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine, Nikhil Naik, Manimaran Siddharth, Andre Russell, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna, Shubman Gill, Nitesh Rana, Siddhesh Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Chris Green, and Rahul Tripathi
Kings XI Punjab
KL Rahul (C), Karun Nair, Mohammed Shami, Nicholas Pooran, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Chris Gayle, Mandeep Singh, Mayank Agarwal, Hardus Viljoen, Darshan Nalkande, Sarfaraz Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Murugan Ashwin, K Gowtham, J Suchith, Glenn Maxwell, Sheldon Cottrell, Deepak Hooda, Ishan Porel, Ravi Bishnoi, James Neesham, Chris Jordan, Tajinder Dhillon, Prabhsimran Singh, Agnivesh Ayachi, Harpreet Brar, Murugan Ashwin
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Predicted move 11
Kolkata Knight Riders
Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Sunil Narine, Eoin Morgan (C), Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna and Varun Chakravarthy
Kings XI Punjab
KL Rahul (C&WK), Mandeep Singh / Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Deepak Hooda, Chris Jordan / James Neesham, Ravi Bishnoi, Murugan Ashwin, Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh
Match details
Match: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab, Match 46
Date: October 26, 2020 at 7:30 PM IST
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
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Launch report
The field at Sharjah’s cricket stadium has slowed down considerably, with new bowlers dominating lately. The likes of Siraj and Boult have enjoyed conditions due to the early swing on offer, which should also be the case in this game.
Although bowlers will be key to the luck of both sides, hitters should be able to play their natural game once they get used to the rhythm of the surface. The dimensions of the floor also play in your hands, the straight limits being very small.
Since dew is expected to play a role later in the game, both teams will look to chase by winning the draw, with 170 being a competitive total at this location.
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