Kings XI Punjab will face another tough challenge when they take on Delhi Capitals in Dubai to be the 10th match for each team. KL Rahul is not slowing down one bit and scored his 3rd fifty on the trot to make it 5 for the season apart from a century. Though not fully recovered from his shoulder injury, Shreyas Iyer played the last game and looked uncomfortable in his stay at the crease.
DC has all but qualified to the playoffs after their win over CSK, but they won’t lower their guard against a lowly placed KXIP. Shikhar Dhawan was the man of the moment, scoring his first IPL century in the 180 run chase at Sharjah. The bowlers did a decent job keeping the Chennai Super Kings to a par score as some of their teams big-hitters Pant and Hetmeyer missing. So this makes the knock by Dhawan was even more critical and chanceless.
KXIP Won one of the most dramatic games we have seen in IPL and T20 cricket overall. Fielding first, the Kings started well with the ball taking 3 quick wickets, but De Kock scored a vital fifty while Coulter Nile and Pollard provided the much-needed impetus to their innings, ending up with a respectable 176. KL Rahul was once again amongst runs top-scoring with 77, and the game went to not one but two super-overs. It was a stunning finish to the match, and Punjab held their nerve to register their 3rd win in this IPL.
Key Players List
Batsman – Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Mayank Agarwal.
After his last match heroics, the Kings XI’s skipper will once again be in the spotlight, along with his opening partner Mayank who played a stellar role in the super-over win. The duo is still no. 1& 2 in the list of leading run-getters and is in top form. Shikhar Dhawan who almost single-handedly won them the game against CSK will need to continue his newfound aggressive attitude with the bat. Shreyas Iyer played the last game at less than 100% and couldn’t contribute much. He will look to come back to his best.
All Rounder- Chris Jordon, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, and Axar Patel.
Deepak Hooda and Chris Jordon played a key role in KXIP’s chase with ended in a tie resulting in a super over. The addition of Hooda has provided a much-needed depth in the batting while also contributing with the ball. Jordon who was responsible to make it to a super over in the first place bowled splendidly in the 2nd instance. Stoinis has been off-color the last few games and DC will hope he comes back to his best touch with the bat. Axar was the unsung hero for the Capitals’ last game with the bat scoring a match-winning cameo after a mediocre outing with the ball. He must be in a good frame of mind going into this game.
Bowlers – Akshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Kagiso Rabada, and Anrich Nortje.
Mohammad Shami was sensational in the first super-over of the game defending only 6 six runs and took the game to another super-over. So he was the game-changer of sorts and picked 2 wickets in the regular game as well. Akshdeep has impressed everyone with his fearless bowling in powerplays and at death. He picked 2 early wickets in the piece but was taken to the cleaners by Pollard in the end. Anrich Nortje is having a dream tournament so far but was not at his best vs CSK so was Kagiso Rabada. Rabada has taken at least one wicket in each of his last 23 games and is the purple cap holder of this season so far.
Battles to look forward
- A Nortje vs KL Rahul
- Kagiso Rabada vs Chris Gayle
- Mohammad Shami vs Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan is slowly becoming DC’s important batsman and he is in that kind of form with 3 consecutive 50 plus scores including a 100 last game. Shami too has been in a great rhythm and KXIP chances will be boosted if the pacer knocks off Gabbar early on which will put pressure on the other batsmen. Chris Gayle is an absolute legend and he has shown he has still had it in himself to clear any boundary. So what might happen if he faces this IPL’s best fast bowler Rabada. Another battle to watch out for is between KL Rahul and Nortje. The KXIP skipper has been in sensational form while the latter has been streaming in every time he bowls.
Head to Head between KXIP and DC.
- Matches Played: 25
- DC Won: 11
- KXIP won: 14
Significant Approaching Milestones.
1- KL Rahul needs 1 to hit 4 more maximum to reach 100 IPL 6’s.
62- Shikhar Dhawan requires 62 more runs to become the 5th batsman to complete 5000 runs in IPL.
Match conditions
Venue: Dubai international cricket stadium, Dubai.
Date & Timings: October 20, 2020, at 7.30 PM IST.
Weather: Clear with the temperature around 31 C.
Pitch: Likely to be a slow batting surface with possible due later on.
