Milestones ahead
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
At this venue
KXIP at this venue: Played 4, Won 2, Lost 2
RR at this venue: Played 7, Won 5, Lost 2
Last meeting between RR and KXIP
In their first meeting in the season, batsmen enjoyed as runs flowed with ease in Sharjah. KXIP scored 223/2 after Mayank Agarwal scored his maiden IPL ton. RR, chasing a mammoth total, looked to be out of it and should have been but for Samson’s half-century and a Rahul Tewatia show.
Form
KXIP are coming into this game on the back of a five-match winning streak which has seen them beat RCB, MI, DC, SRH and KKR. RR's most recent outing was also a win: 8-wicket triumph over MI with Ben Stokes scoring a ton and ably supported by Sanju Samson to chase down a big 196 run total
Kings XI Punjab are fourth in the standings with 12 points from 12 games. Their win today has a bearing on KKR, SRH and RR's chances for the last-four. Rajasthan, meanwhile, are seventh with 10 points from as many games.
Qualification scenario
KXIP have two matches remaining and even if they lose tonight, they can still make the playoffs provided things elsewhere go their way. The same cannot be said for RR. Smith-led Rajasthan would be out of running for the playoffs if they lose. Their next game is against KKR in Dubai on 1 Nov.
Hello and welcome to our continued live coverage of the Indian Premier League. Today's action sees Kings XI Punjab take on Rajasthan Royals. The reverse fixture produced a lot of dramatics and storylines. This one could go the same way considering a lot is riding on this as far as playoff hopes are concerned. KXIP vs RR at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Toss at 7 PM IST, first ball at 7.30 PM IST!
IPL 2020 LIVE SCORE, Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals latest updates: Kings XI Punjab take on Rajasthan Royals in the 50th match of the Indian Premier League in Abu Dhabi.
Preview: It's another do-or-die game for Rajasthan Royals as they take on KXIP. RR sit second from the bottom with 10 points from 12 matches while KXIP are on 12 points from 12 matches. The manner of win against table-toppers Mumbai Indians would have given RR a lot of confidence. They won the match by eight wickets and 10 balls to spare, chasing down 196 against a strong Mumbai bowling line-up.
Ben Stokes finally fired at the top with a brilliant century. He struggled earlier to start off but his move to open the batting finally worked for RR. Their biggest concern though is Steve Smith's form; he's been very inconsistent and has had scores of 16 not out, 19, and 11 in the last three innings. Overall, he's averaged just 25.09. RR would need him to get back to his best as soon as possible.
Jofra Archer has been excellent in the bowling department and the spinners - Shreyas Gopal and Rahul Tewatia - too have formed a vital cog in the middle overs. However, the lack of output from the Indian pacers is a worry for them. Ankit Rajpoot got hammered for 60 runs from his four overs against MI, while Kartik Tyagi went for 45/1 in his four. They need to improve their death bowling as well.
Apart from these concerns, they have to face a rampaging KXIP side that has won five matches in a row. KXIP's death and middle overs bowling has been brilliant and the arrival of Chris Gayle has breathed a lot of confidence and positivity into the side. Mandeep Singh's emotional unbeaten half-century against KKR has further lifted the mood in the camp.
While they have done many things right, they would like Glenn Maxwell to fire with the bat if and when needed and demand a bit more consistency from the middle order.
When these two teams met earlier in the tournament in Sharjah, RR chased down 224 with three balls to spare thanks to half-centuries from Steve Smith, Sanju Samson, and Rahul Tewatia.
With two teams fighting to stay alive, we can expect an enthralling contest.
Squads:
Rajasthan Royals full squad: Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Mahipal Lomror, Manan Vohra, Riyan Parag, Robin Uthappa, David Miller, Ankit Rajpoot, Mayank Markande, Shreyas Gopal, Varun Aaron, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Akash Singh, Oshane Thomas, Andrew Tye, Rahul Tewatia, Shashank Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anirudha Joshi, Tom Curran, Sanju Samson, Anuj Rawat.
Kings XI Punjab full squad: KL Rahul (Captain), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Sheldon Cottrell, Ishan Porel, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Arshdeep Singh, Hardus Viljoen, M Ashwin, J Suchith, Harpreet Brar, Darshan Nalkande, Glenn Maxwell, James Neesham, Chris Jordan, Krishnappa Gowtham, Deepak Hooda, Tajinder Singh Dhillon, Nicholas Pooran, Prabhsimran Singh.
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