IPL 2020: Kolkata Knight Riders v Kings XI Punjab – Probable playing XI and team news
As the 2020 IPL League stage draws into the latter stages, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) take on the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in what could turn out to be a virtual quarter-final for both teams. Both teams are coming off morale boosting wins; while the Kolkata Knight Riders, banking on fifties from Sunil Narine and Nitish Rana and a five-for from Varun Chakravarthy triumphed against the Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab stole a 12-run victory over the Sunrisers Hyderabad defending 127 later on the same day.
KKR v KXIP: Head-To-Head
Out of the 27 matches being played between the two teams in the 12 years of the IPL, the Knight Riders have had a significant upper-hand over their North Indian rivals, winning a total of 19 matches. Their last encounter saw KKR do a KXIP on KXIP by snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.
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KXIP were well placed at 115 for no wicket, chasing 165 set by KKR thanks to fifties from Dinesh Karthik and Shubman Gill, but a middle-order collapse meant that they had to chase 13 off the last over by Narine. With 7 to get off the final delivery, Maxwell almost succeeded in clearing the long-off boundary, but the ball fell a few inches inside the rope, handing KKR a 2-run win.
KKR snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the previous encounter against KXIP
Team News – Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Andre Russell has not been at his fittest and his best in this year’s IPL. With Lockie Ferguson and Sunil Narine both performing well for KKR in the past few games, and Russell having to sit out due to injury, the Knight Riders would not want to rush the West Indian all-rounder back in the scheme of things.
Probable XI: Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (c), Sunil Narine, Dinesh Karthik, Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy
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Team News – Kings XI Punjab
Mayank Agarwal had to sit out KXIP’s last game against SRH due to injury. Mandeep Singh opened the batting in his place. If fit, Agarwal will walk back into the side in place of Mandeep.
Probable XI: KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Deepak Hooda, Chris Jordan, Murugan Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh