The 36th match of the IPL 2020 will see Mumbai Indians (MI) clashing with Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in Dubai on October 18, 2020, in the second match of the double-header. MI is second on the points table with 6 wins from 8 matches, while KXIP is last with 2 wins from 8 matches.
MI had beaten KXIP in their previous encounter in Abu Dhabi by 48 runs and will hope to repeat the same in Dubai as well. If MI wins here, they will go to the top of the table and along with DC, almost confirm their playoffs spot. KXIP has nothing to lose here and should play freely in order to crash MI’s party.
IPL 2020: Match 36, MI v KXIP - Statistical Preview of the Match
Before this exciting encounter unfolds, TEAM COC presents the Predicted Playing XIs for the MI v KXIP match in Dubai.
MUMBAI INDIANS (MI)
Mumbai Indians have been very clinical in their execution of plans. One of the best things they did was pick some great backups for their regular players in the auction. MI has one of the best batting and bowling lineups in the tournament with very little flaws.
Their openers Rohit and De Kock have done well individually and given the team flying starts. The middle order of Kishan, Suryakumar and Hardik have played their roles to perfection, while Krunal and Pollard have upped the ante at the right time.
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Bowling-wise, they had decided to rest James Pattinson and bring in Nathan Coulter-Nile, which further bolsters their batting. Coulter-Nile is expected to continue in his role as the bowling all-rounder, while Boult and Bumrah have formed a lethal pair with both old and new balls.
Meanwhile, Krunal and Rahul Chahar have done amazingly well in the middle overs with their spin, keeping the scoring rate low and building pressure on the batsmen to take risks and give away wickets. In all, MI is well-oiled machinery working at its full potential and KXIP will have a huge task of competing with them.
KINGS XI PUNJAB (KXIP)
KXIP enjoyed their first win in a long time, when they beat Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), but still managed to make a hash of it. Chris Gayle’s inclusion in the team has boosted their morale, which was low due to constant losses in the IPL 2020.
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The biggest drawback of KXIP has been their inability to stick with a set playing XI. Their constant changing and chopping have led to players losing confidence that they will get 2-3 matches to show their worth. Apart from Rahul, Mayank, Pooran, Maxwell, and Shami, most of the other players have been going through a revolving door.
Another big problem they have faced has been over-dependence on the openers, which has not given much time for the middle order to do much and hence the loss of form for Maxwell.
Bowling-wise, Murugan Ashwin has impressed a lot in the opportunities he has got. Bishnoi and Shami have been their best bowlers thus far, but they have not gotten any support from other fast bowlers. But they will have a tough ask of bowling to a dangerous MI batting and will have to come up with a plan to counter them.
MI COC Predicted Playing XI:
Rohit Sharma (C), Quinton de Kock (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult
KXIP COC Predicted Playing XI:
KL Rahul (C&WK), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Deepak Hooda, Chris Jordan, M Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh
