Kings XI Punjab have staged a brilliant resurgence in the second half of IPL 2020 as they have won five straight games to move to the fourth spot in the points table. KL Rahul can extract the perfect revenge over Rajasthan Royals for their heist in Sharjah as a victory could knock Steve Smith’s side out of the reckoning in the playoff race as the race intensifies with just six league games left.
About 32 days ago, a miracle had occurred in Sharjah during the IPL 2020 match between Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab. Mayank Agarwal had hit a century and along with KL Rahul’s 69, Kings XI Punjab reached 223/3. In response, Steve Smith and Sanju Samson smashed 50 and 85 respectively but they both perished. There was one Rahul Tewatia who had struggled to put bat on ball as he crawled to 8 off 19 balls. 63 runs were needed off 24 balls which later boiled down to 51 off 18. It looked like game over for Rajasthan Royals. Instead, in unprecedented scenes, Rahul Tewatia hit five sixes in an over of Sheldon Cottrell and seven sixes were hit in the last nine balls as Rajasthan Royals secured the highest successful chase in the history of the tournament, beating their previous 12-year record.
In the first half, Kings XI Punjab were having finishing issues. They botched up a chase against Delhi Capitals to lose in the Super Over, gave up a total of 224 against Rajasthan Royals, missed victory against Kolkata Knight Riders by a matter of inches and they were blown away to smithereens by a sudden burst of inspiration from Chennai Super Kings. Nicholas Pooran’s fastest fifty against Sunrisers Hyderabad also did not go Kings XI Punjab’s way.
With bad luck, poor finishing and nervousness to cross the line, Kings XI Punjab were languishing at the bottom of the table. However, with the arrival of Universe Boss Chris Gayle, Kings XI Punjab have won five games on the trot. They have also been helped by the consistency of Mandeep Singh and Nicholas Pooran as well the superb bowling experience of Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep Singh.
Now, the tide had turned. Kings XI Punjab won from positions which were hopeless, as was the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. They have crossed the line effortlessly, despite taking the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore to the last ball. There are some loose ends, particularly the form of Glenn Maxwell but if he comes to the fore, then Kings XI Punjab are potent.
Rajasthan Royals know what to expect. A loss for them will be the end of their playoff aspirations but a win will complicate the scrap for the fourth spot even more. The fact that Ben Stokes has come to the party with a brilliant century against Mumbai Indians will warm the hearts of the Rajasthan Royals batting. However, their bowling is still dependant on Jofra Archer while Jos Buttler has been inconsistent with the bat. Sanju Samson shows glimpses of his class but does not carry on. The batting and bowling will need to click like a proper unit if they are to stop the resurgence of Kings XI Punjab.
Team News
With plenty at stake for the playoff spot, the teams might not make much changes to their line-ups. Kings XI Punjab will not want to tamper with a winning combination while Rajasthan Royals might stick with the combination that helped them win in Mumbai.
Probable Playing 11s
Kings XI Punjab: KL Rahul(w/c), Mandeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Deepak Hooda, Chris Jordan, Murugan Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh
Rajasthan Royals: Robin Uthappa, Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson(w), Jos Buttler, Steven Smith(c), Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Ankit Rajpoot, Kartik Tyagi
Match details
Match No 50: Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals
Date and Time: 29th October, 7:30 PM
Venue: Sheikh Zayed stadium, Abu Dhabi.
Statistics
Rajasthan Royals hold a 11-9 advantage against Kings XI Punjab after the end of the last game in Sharjah. However, Kings XI Punjab still have a 3-2 head-to-head advantage in the last five games played between the two sides.
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 "Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals IPL 2020")
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