The IPL 2020 encounter between KXIP vs KKR is scheduled to commence at 7:30 pm (IST) with the toss slated to be held at 7:00 pm (IST).
Kings Eleven Punjab, who are currently occupying the fourth spot in the points table have a golden chance of bolstering their play-off chances with a win over Rajasthan Royals. A win over RR will take KXIP to 14 points and take them to the cusp of qualifying for the play-offs.
With 10 points in 13 games, Smith-led 'Royals' need to register nothing but a win against KXIP later in the evening at Abu Dhabi, else they shall be eliminated from the playoff race. KKR's loss against CSK at Dubai on Thursday has been a blessing of sorts for both KXIP and RR to stake a claim into the knockouts.
A Win For Kings Eleven Punjab Will Put Them In Striking Distance Of Qualification
Coming on the back of five straight wins to resurrect their dwindling fortunes at the back end of the tournament, KL Rahul-led Punjab will start favourites against inconsistent Rajasthan Royals.
Kings have look a completely different side from their pale self in the first half post the inclusion of Windies explosive batsmen Chris Gayle. While skipper KL Rahul continues to be their batting lynchpin, the rest of the top order batsmen in Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran and Mandeep Singh have been contributing to the team's winning juggernaut with meaningful contributions.
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Punjab look a much more potent bowling unit with the team deploying the strategy of playing the spin duo of Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin together.
Medium pacer Arshdeep Singh and seam all-rounder Chris Jordan have been complimenting the efforts of frontline seamer Mohammad Shami, who is enjoying a rich wicket taking spell in the ongoing season.
The dismal form of Glen Maxwell continues to be a major worry but the Australian all-rounder has contributed with his off-spin in the critical powerplay.
Rajasthan Royals Need To Win Against Kings Eleven Punjab In Do Or Die Encounter For Them
Rajasthan Royals' campaign in the season so far has been marred by inconsistencies with the bat. The power-packed batting order has not found semblance till as their star campaigners in Steve Smith, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson and Robin Uthappa have been up and down all through the season.
English all-rounder Ben Stokes adds depth and balance to the RR squad with his all-round abilities but would need support from the rest of his team mates.
The bowling fortunes for Rajasthan Royals will once again depend on their tearaway speedster Jofra Archer, who has bowled some lethal spells with the new ball to wreck through power-packed batting orders. Archer will once again be partnered by Ben Stokes, Kartik Tyagi or Ankit Rajpoot.
Here are the full squads for both Kings Eleven Punjab and Rajasthan Royal In IPL 2020
Kings XI Punjab (KXIP)
KL Rahul (c & wk), Mandeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Deepak Hooda, Chris Jordan, Murugan Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Krishnappa Gowtham, James Neesham, Sheldon Cottrell, Sarfaraz Khan, Hardus Viljoen, Jagadeesha Suchith, Ishan Porel, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Tajinder Singh, Darshan Nalkande, Simran Singh, Harpreet Brar
Rajasthan Royals (RR) Squad
Steven Smith (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Robin Uthappa, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Ankit Rajpoot, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Aaron, Jaydev Unadkat, David Miller, Aniruddha Joshi, Manan Vohra, Tom Curran, Andrew Tye, Shashank Singh, Mahipal Lomror, Oshane Thomas, Mayank Markande, Anuj Rawat, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Akash Singh