Kings XI Punjab take on Kolkata Knight Riders in the 24th match of the Indian Premier League in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
Things have got desperate for KXIP, five losses from six matches have put them in huge trouble. They lie at the bottom of the table with just two points. Inconsistencies in all the departments have hurt them badly. Their middle-order hasn't fired in unison and there has been a lot of dependence on openers KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal.
Apart from Nicholas Pooran, none of the middle-order batsmen clicked in the chase of 200 against SRH after the openers failed. The death bowling finally came good against SRH, however, the powerplay and middle overs bowling wasn't incisive enough and leaked too many runs.
There have also been questions about Rahul's approach in the powerplay but the KXIP captain has brushed those aside.
"I think strike rate is very, very overrated. For me, it is only about how I can win games for my team and on a certain day if 120 can win a game for my team then I will do that. This is how I bat and I like to take responsibility," Rahul said post the SRH match.
There are chances we might finally see Chris Gayle in action against SRH if he's fully recovered from food poisoning.
KXIP need to step up big time in all the departments in order to script a revival.
KKR, on the other hand, go into the match on the back of a win against CSK. They have three wins and two losses from five matches and would be looking to achieve consistency. The move to promote Rahul Tripathi to open worked wonders as he scored a match-winning 51-ball 81 against CSK. However, the rest of the batting needs to fire consistently. None of the batsmen crossed 20 against Chennai. Captain Dinesh Karthik's form is a concern as well. He impressed with his captaincy against CSK and would be desperately looking to make amends with the bat against KXIP.
The bowlers did well to defend 168 against CSK. Youngsters like Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, and Varun Chakravarthy took up the responsibility and delivered. KKR would expect this on a consistent basis from their young guns.
Given the struggles of KXIP, KKR start favourites.
Here's all you need to know about the KXIP vs KKR match in Abu Dhabi
When is the 24th match of the IPL between KXIP and KKR?
The 24th match of the IPL between KXIP and KKR is on Saturday, 10 October 2020.
Where will the KXIP vs KKR match be played?
The match will be played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
What time does the KXIP vs KKR match start?
The match will start at 3.30 pm IST (2 pm UAE time).
Which TV channels will broadcast the KXIP vs KKR match?
All the IPL matches will be shown live on Star Sports India channels and games can also be streamed live on Disney + Hotstar. You can follow the live blog and updates on www.Firstpost.com
Kings XI Punjab full squad: KL Rahul (Captain), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Sheldon Cottrell, Ishan Porel, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Arshdeep Singh, Hardus Viljoen, M Ashwin, J Suchith, Harpreet Brar, Darshan Nalkande, Glenn Maxwell, James Neesham, Chris Jordan, Krishnappa Gowtham, Deepak Hooda, Tajinder Singh Dhillon, Nicholas Pooran, Prabhsimran Singh.
Kolkata Knight Riders full squad: Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Ali Khan, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Siddhesh Lad, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Eoin Morgan, Varun Chakravarthy, Tom Banton, Rahul Tripathi, Chris Green, M Siddharth, Nikhil Naik
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With PTI inputs
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