Kolkata Knight Riders Skipper Dinesh Karthik won the toss and elected to bat first against Kings Eleven Punjab at Abu Dhabi. Chris Jordan comes into KXIP's Playing XI in place of seamer Sheldon Cottrell. KKR seamer Shivam Mavi has a few niggles so Prasidh Krishna gets a chance to play against KXIP
Here is what the skippers had to say after the toss
KL Rahul | KXIP captain: We have a lot of experience like Anil, Andy and Jonty. We have Gayle and Maxi and seniors who have kept it positive. We just haven't turned it around in the big moments that's why we are at the bottom of the table. Jordan comes in for Cottrell, who has a niggle and might miss out on a couple of games.
Dinesh Karthik | KKR captain: The wicket looks dry so we'll have a bat first. As the tournament progresses we'll get the right batting order, but it worked well in the last game. Mavi has a few niggles so Prasidh comes in for him.
Here are the Playing XI for KXIP and KKR
Kings XI Punjab (Playing XI): KL Rahul(c), Mayank Agarwal, Mandeep Singh, Nicholas Pooran, Simran Singh(w), Glenn Maxwell, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Chris Jordan, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Rahul Tripathi, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Sunil Narine, Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR):
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Recent Form In IPL 13 At UAE
Kolkata Knight Riders are placed at the fourth spot in the points table with six points in their kitty. The Karthik-led team has blown hot and cold with 3 wins and 2 losses in their five outings. Meanwhile, KXIP are placed rock bottom at the 8th position with just two points on the back of a solitary win against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
KXIP vs KKR - Head To Head In IPL
For the record, Kolkata Knight Riders have dominated Kings Eleven Punjab in their 25 past encounters with a 17-8 win record against the Punjab Franchise.
Here are the full squads for Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings Eleven Punjab in IPL 2020
Kolkata Knight Riders: Dinesh Karthik (Captain), Eoin Morgan, Shubman Gill, Tom Banton, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Kuldeep Yadav, Pat Cummins, Prasidh Krishna, Lockie Ferguson, Rinku Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Nikhil Naik, Chris Green, M Siddharth, Sandeep Warrier, Varun Chakravarthy and Siddhesh Lad
Kings XI Punjab: KL Rahul (Captain), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, James Neesham, Chris Jordan, Mohammad Shami, Mujeeb Zadran, Sheldon Cottrell, Hardus Viljoen, Darshan Nalkande, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Sarfraz Khan, K Gowtham, J Suchith, Ravi Bishnoi, Deepak Hooda, Tajinder Dhillon, Prabhsimran Singh, Murugan Ashwin