IPL 2020, RR vs KXIP LIVE: Kings XI Punjab, which now has 6 wins to their name from 12 matches, is now in with a chance to seal a playoff spot. (FILE)IPL 2020, KXIP vs RR Team Predicted Playing 11 for Today Match LIVE Updates: With an eye on securing playoff berth, Kings XI Punjab are facing Rajasthan Royals today in the 50th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
The Steve Smith-led pink army is also desperate to stay alive in the season which guarantees another thriller against KL Rahul’s Punjab. The buoyant KXIP have surprised everyone with their five consecutive victories against top four teams in the IPL 2020. Currently, they are fourth in the points table with 12 points. While Rajasthan are at second last spot with 10 points from 12 games.
The last time these two teams squared off this season, it was a run-fest in Sharjah. While KXIP scored 223/2 after Mayank Agarwal scored his maiden IPL hundred, RR crossed the finish line after Samson’s half-century and a Rahul Tewatia show.
Probable XIs:
KXIP: KL Rahul (C, wk), Mandeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Deepak Hooda/Mayank Agarwal, Chris Jordan, M Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami
RR: Robin Uthappa, Ben Stokes, Steve Smith (C), Sanju Samson (wk), Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Ankit Rajpoot/Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi
Rajasthan Royals: Robin Uthappa, Ben Stokes, Steven Smith(c), Sanju Samson(w), Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Varun Aaron, Kartik Tyagi
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 win toss, elect field.
It has been a dramatic turnaround for the KL Rahul-led side after a string a losses earlier in the tournament. They have managed to weave together five consecutive wins against the top four sides in the tournament, infusing life into their campaign. They are in fourth position with 12 points from as many games.
“I think we’ve bowled well overall, this is T20 cricket and there are these patches wherein bowlers go for runs. I feel that our pacers have done well, certain things didn’t go our way where we were unlucky but I feel JD, Tyagi, and Rajpoot have done well in supporting Archer. The next two games are must win for us to be able to secure the playoffs berth and I am sure our team will put up the best show to be able to achieve that spot.”
Ben Stokes’ second IPL hundred helped the Royals secure a much-needed win against Mumbai. The Royals would hope for more of the same from the England cricketer as they look to halt Kings XI’s five-game winning streak. Steve Smith would hope that his side can compete at the highest level in the final run-in as the battle for the final four intensifies.
Amol Muzumdar: “We are where we are in the table and we can't change that now. We have to win our last two matches it's as simple as that. It is an extremely tight and exciting end to the season and we hope to be one of the teams making it through to the playoffs."
The Royals continue their sojourn at Abu Dhabi in what is their final league game at the venue. It’s two wins from three at the Sheikh Zayed stadium for Steve Smith’s side and they would look to continue this strong performance in the clash against the Kings.
The Jofra Archer-led bowling attack has looked ordinary. The Barbados-born English pacer, who is having a stellar individual season with 17 wickets from 12 matches with an economy of 6.71, has done most of the heavy lifting with the ball without adequate support from the rest of the bowlers.
Table-toppers Mumbai Indians have become the first team of IPL 2020 to qualify for the playoffs on Thursday after MS Dhoni-led CSK beat Eoin Morgan's men Kolkata Knight Riders. 23 runs were required off eight balls, when Lockie Ferguson bowled a full toss above waist height and conceded a no-ball. From that point onwards, Ravindra Jadeja took over. He hit a six off the free hit followed by a four. And in the final over bowled by Kamlesh Nagarkoti, when the equation had come down to seven runs off two balls, the left-hander smashed back-to-back sixes to secure a six-wicket win for Chennai Super Kings. By successfully chasing 173 for victory, they threw a spanner in Kolkata Knight Riders’ playoff hopes.
The Royals will also be high on confidence after their morale boosting win over table toppers Mumbai and would be desperate to keep the winning momentum going. The biggest positive for the Royals is Ben Stokes roaring back to form after rusty displays in previous five outings. The English all-rounder, who has been elevated to the role of opener, smashed an unbeaten 107 to help seal a seven-wicket win over Mumbai earlier this week.
It’s 2018 and Prasanna Agoram, South Africa’s performance analyst, is closely monitoring Hashim Amla’s trigger movements at the nets. Moments later, a relatively unknown net bowler catches his eye. Robustly built, with blonde hair and debonair good looks, he is generating raw pace and getting disconcerting bounce, much to Amla’s discomfiture. “Who was that bowler who was troubling you at the nets today? Prasanna would later ask Amla. “That’s Anrich Nortje,” was the reply. Prasanna had heard that name before, of a young fast bowler from the Eastern Cape who was blowing away batsmen with pace at first-class level, but this was the first time he had seen Nortje bowl. “This guy is no net bowler. He is good enough to play for South Africa,” he told himself. [Read Full Article]
With Chris Gayle finding his peak-hitting form, as evidenced in the win against KKR, and Nicholas Pooran successfully blending aggression with consistency, it has strengthened KXIP's batting that had earlier remained heavily reliant on in-form openers, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal.
An IPL Play-offs spot at stake, Royal Challengers Bangalore need to shrug off the disappointment of two back-to-back defeats and put up a strong challenge against strong-willed Sunrisers Hyderabad when the two teams clash on Saturday. But it would be easier said than done since SRH are brimming with confidence after their crushing win over Delhi Capitals. Chennai Super Kings, which is the only team to be out of the reckoning, has spiced up the play-off race with their last-ball win over Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday night. [Read More]
They were staring down the barrel at the halfway mark of the league stage, but Kings XI Punjab have made a roaring comeback in the IPL and currently sit among the top four teams. Five consecutive losses have been followed by five successive wins. With matches against Rajasthan Royals and already-eliminated Chennai Super Kings to play, KXIP will fancy their chances of a first playoff spot since 2014. Here are a few factors behind the stunning turnaround. [Read Full Explained Article here]
KL Rahul needs 5 runs to complete 600 runs this IPL season. He is also 37 runs away from completing 2000 IPL runs as wicketkeeper.
Glenn Maxwell requires 1 run to complete 1500 IPL runs.
Shreyas Gopal needs 3 wickets to complete 50 IPL wickets.
Sanju Samson requires 2 dismissals to complete 50 IPL dismissals (43 catches/5 stumpings) for Rajasthan Royals
Twenty-three runs were required off eight balls, when Lockie Ferguson bowled a full toss above waist height and conceded a no-ball. From that point onwards, Ravindra Jadeja took over. He hit a six off the free hit followed by a four. And in the final over bowled by Kamlesh Nagarkoti, when the equation had come down to seven runs off two balls, the left-hander smashed back-to-back sixes to secure a six-wicket win for Chennai Super Kings. By successfully chasing 173 for victory, they threw a spanner in Kolkata Knight Riders’ playoff hopes. [Read More]
The last time these two teams squared off this season, it was a run-fest in Sharjah. While KXIP scored 223/2 after Mayank Agarwal scored his maiden IPL hundred, RR crossed the finish line after Samson’s half-century and a Rahul Tewatia show.
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This is the KXIP vs RR (Match 50) match build-up live blog where you will get every update of the game. KL Rahul's Punjab’s bowling, which has been their weakest link throughout the tournament, has been exceptional in their recent wins, choking the opposition for runs. The Royals will also be high on confidence after their morale boosting win over table toppers Mumbai and would be desperate to keep the winning momentum going.