Published: May 03, 2019, 01:06 PM (IST)
Edited: May 03, 2019, 01:06 PM (IST)
It won’t be exactly a must-win clash but when Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders meet in Mohali tonight, they would go for the win considering a defeat will put their fate on the results of other IPL matches.
A win wouldn’t ensure a playoff berth but will solidify their chances.
TEAM NEWS:
KINGS XI PUNJAB
Punjab’s batting let them severely in their previous match against SRH with only KL Rahul (520 runs off 12 games) – the second in the runs-scorers’ list – having a good season. Chris Gayle, who has lacked consistency, is fifth in the list with 448 runs. Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran and David Miller will have to shoulder more responsibility in the middle-order for Kings XI. The bowling will largely depend on skipper Ravichandran Ashwin and a better Mohammed Shami.
KXIP: 1. KL Rahul (wk), 2. Chris Gayle, 3. Mayank Agarwal, 4. Nicholas Pooran, 5. David Miller, 6. Sarfaraz Khan/Simran Singh, 7. Ravichandran Ashwin (captain), 8. Murugan Ashwin, 9. Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10. Arshdeep Singh, 11. Mohammed Shami
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS
Kolkata will not want to tinker much with their combination having returned to winning ways against Mumbai.
KKR: 1. Shubman Gill, 2. Chris Lynn, 3. Dinesh Karthik (captain and wk), 4. Andre Russell, 5. Sunil Narine, 6. Robin Uthappa, 7. Nitish Rana, 8. Rinku Singh, 9. Piyush Chawla, 10. Sandeep Warrier, 11. Harry Gurney
Head to Head (IPL matches)
Matches played: 24
Won by KXIP: 8
Won by KKR: 16
Form Guide (most recent first)
KXIP: L L L W L
KKR: W L L L L
KXIP vs KKR PREDICTION:
The last time these two teams met, Andre Russell went berserk, as he has one countless occasions this season. KKR posted 218/4. Mayank Agarwal and Mandeep Singh hit half-centuries to offer some challenge but they finished 29 runs short of the target. History favours KKR and KXIP are on a losing streak of three matches. KKR have just won a high-scoring encounter (vs MI) and will be high on confidence. Promises to be a thriller and KKR might just edge past their opponents.
