IPL 2020: RR vs KXIP Game Plan 1 – The Dual Wrist-spin Threat

The ninth match of the IPL 2020 tournament between the blockbuster teams, Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, could all be about match-ups. We take a look at a key game plan that could play a role in the ninth game of IPL 2020 – RR vs KXIP.

RR vs KXIP Game Plan – Can wrist-spin make the early breakthroughs?

Rajasthan Royals were traditionally never top-heavy teams. Previously, the likes of Yusuf Pathan, Shane Watson, Brad Hodge and even Stuart Binny played in the middle order for RR. For KXIP as well, they had the services of Yuvraj Singh, David Miller, and David Hussey in the middle order for so long. Recently however, these teams have shown a shift in their approach, and now depend on runs from the top to be the foundation of winning.

Also Read: IPL 2020: RR vs KXIP Game Plan 2 – The Pivotal Death Overs

Since 2018, the top-three batsmen contribute 63.2% of the Royals’ runs. Upon a closer inspection, Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson account for 35.4% of their team’s runs. While the Kings XI Punjab as well have been highly reliant on KL Rahul (who alone has scored 29.7% of KXIP’s runs since 2018) and their top order in the previous two seasons, they look much better this year with the likes of Glenn Maxwell and Nicholas Pooran in their setup.

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However, if the first few matches for both teams is anything to go by, it seems as if the top-order dependency for both teams still remains an issue. Mayank Agarwal in KXIP’s first game scored 56.7% of Punjab’s total, Rahul in their second game was responsible for 64.1%. In Rajasthan’s first and only game thus far, two fifties from Steve Smith and Sanju Samson – both of whom batted in the top three – again laid the foundation for their big score.

Among the middle-order recruits, Nicholas Pooran and Glenn Maxwell both couldn’t get going in their first two matches, and David Miller was unfortunately run out without facing a ball. With the imminent return of Jos Buttler – most likely in place of Miller – it seems like RR are only going to get even more top-heavy. Both teams here now have a chance at exposing the middle-order flaws of the other; quick and early breakthroughs will be key.

Today’s encounter will be in Sharjah, the smallest ground of the three venues in the UAE. Both teams are likely to continue with their dual leggie strategy. RR go into the match with a head-start in that aspect, as Shreyas Gopal and Rahul Tewatia have already played a match here and will have seen what lengths go the distance. In the first match here, the googly proved to be a much better variation than the standard leggie. 20 googlies conceded just 28 runs, while 28 leggies conceded 62 runs. Both teams have 2 wrist-spinners apiece who have deceptive googlies.

It might be worth the risk to bowl 1-2 overs of wrist-spin within the powerplay for both teams. While KL Rahul is adept at playing them, Mayank Agarwal’s technique makes it hard for him to counter the googly, as Yuzvendra Chahal showed in the previous match. Similarly for RR, Steve Smith has a very good record in general against right-arm wrist-spin but against the bowling type, Jos Buttler has been dismissed 6 times since IPL 2018 at a mediocre average of 16.50.

Hence, the spinners for both teams will be crucial to get wickets upfront in the Powerplay. Murugan Ashwin and Ravi Bishnoi for KXIP, and Shreyas Gopal and Rahul Tewatia for RR; these young spinners will play a key role in match-ups today for their respective sides.

The way the captain uses their spinners will also be vital. Depending on which pitch is used, one square boundary will be around 70 metres and another will be 60 metres. In this age of match-ups, we might see a left-right pair operating most of the times when the spinners are bowling, but RR lack a quality LHB in their lineup.

They could however promote Rahul Tewatia up the order to give some variety, similar to how CSK used Sam Curran in the pinch-hitting role. If they do so, Bishnoi can be used as his googly proved very effective and quite literally shut down the left-handed Rishabh Pant’s scoring options in their first match. He could do so again today.