KXIP vs KKR: Two captains from the same state captaining two different franchises are in dire need of two points. Ravichandran Ashwin has proven to be a taciturn skipper while Karthik has led his team with a lot of authority. KXIP vs KKR, the 44th game of the IPL is all set to bulge and this for a spot in the top 4. After spending the majority of the league in the top half, KKR now find themselves in a bit of fix. A win here will see them move to number 4 on the table but with the troubling inconsistency, they are certain to drop down further.
INDIVIDUAL BRILLIANCE KEEP KXIP IN THE RUN
KL Rahul has yet again proven to the cricketing world, why he’s the man to watch out for in the future. He’s scored magnanimous amounts of runs and how. The cover drives, the cuts, the pulls, the long hoiks – everything seems to find the middle of the blade. If there’s one person who the KXIP have to thank, it’s got to be Rahul. Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Andrew Tye have picked 30 wickets between them. Along with Rahul, this duo has prevented KXIP from taking a beating. It’s the middle order that needs to step up. KXIP are favourites to qualify for the playoffs, but can they dodge teams in the knockouts? If they are eyeing a title-winning season the whole team needs to work in tandem and soon.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
|
OVERALL |
|
|
PLAYED |
22 |
|
KINGS XI PUNJAB |
8 |
|
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS |
14 |
This will be the first game between the two sides at the Holkar Stadium, Indore.
VENUE: HOLKAR STADIUM, INDORE
PITCH CONDITIONS
Only two games have been played at Indore this season so far and this fixture, KXIP vs KKR, will be the 3rd game out of the 4 it is assigned to host. The average score here is 165 and twice the team chasing has won. The ground isn’t the biggest but variations on this turf will help contain the batters. Win the toss and bowl first on this wicket. KL Rahul produced an absolute masterclass the last time Punjab played at this venue. Can he continue his exceptional form?
STATS AT THE VENUE
| Matches played |
7 |
| Matches won batting 1st |
0 |
| Matches won batting 2nd |
7 |
| Average 1st innings score |
158 |
| Average 2nd innings score |
151 |
| Highest total recorded |
199/2 by MI vs KXIP |
| Lowest total recorded |
97/10 by RR vs KTK |
TEAM NEWS
Akshdeep Nath was brought in for Mayank Agarwal in the last game. However, for this game, Agarwal might return to the starting eleven.
Kolkata are likely to play the same eleven. Rinku Singh hasn’t fired in the opportunities he’s got, but is likely to be persisted with.
EXPECTED PLAYING 11
KINGS XI PUNJAB
KL Rahul(wk), Chris Gayle, Karun Nair, Mayank Agarwal/Akshdeep Nath, Manoj Tiwary, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Andrew Tye, Marcus Stoinis, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohit Sharma.
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS
Robin Uthappa, Chris Lynn, Dinesh Karthik, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Tom Curran, Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Prasidh Krishna.
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PLAYER BATTLE
KL RAHUL vs PIYUSH CHAWLA
Chawla has bowled 17 deliveries to KL Rahul in the IPL. The stylish right-handed batsman has scored 30 runs but has been dismissed twice by the wily leg-spinner. Can Chawla conjure yet another magical spell?
KL RAHUL IN IPL 2018 – Matches: 10, Runs: 471, Strike-rate: 156.47, Balls/boundary: 4.2
PIYUSH CHAWLA IN IPL 2018 – Matches: 11, Wickets: 11, Economy-rate: 8.7, Dot balls: 92
CHRIS GAYLE vs SUNIL NARINE
Very seldom has a bowler troubled Chris Gayle. One Sunil Narine has been absolutely phenomenal against the mighty left-hander. Narine has dismissed Gayle 5 times in T20s. He’s bowled 119 deliveries and conceded only 94 runs. That’s a strike-rate of less 80. How will the Jamaican fare against the dextrous Narine?
CHRIS GAYLE IN IPL 2018 – Matches: 7, Runs: 311, Strike-rate: 149.51, Balls/boundary: 4.4
SUNIL NARINE IN IPL 2018 – Matches: 11, Wickets: 13, Economy-rate: 7.51, Dot balls: 93.
DID YOU KNOW?
KL Rahul’s 95* in the last game against RR stands 4th on the highest percentage of runs scored by a player in IPL. 95/143 meant Rahul scored 66.4% of the runs KXIP managed.
Gayle has hit 844 sixes in T20 cricket. The most ever by a batsman. The next best, 525 by Kieron Pollard.
Piyush Chawla with 137 wickets is the 3rd highest wicket-taker in IPL history. Only Amit Mishra(140) and Lasith Malinga(154) have more wickets.
SQUADS
KINGS XI PUNJAB
Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Yuvraj Singh, Karun Nair, Lokesh Rahul, Chris Gayle, David Miller, Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis, Mayank Agarwal, Ankit Rajpoot, Manoj Tiwary, Mohit Sharma, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Barinder Sran, Andrew Tye, Akshdeep Nath, Ben Dwarshuis, Pardeep Sahu, Mayank Dagar, Manzoor Dar
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS
Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Dinesh Karthik(c), Robin Uthappa, Mitchell Johnson, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill, Ishank Jaggi, Nitish Rana, Vinay Kumar, Apoorv Wankhade, Rinku Singh, Shivam Mavi, Cameron Delport, Javon Searles, Tom Curran, Prasidh Krishna
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