Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and Mumbai Indians (MI) both the teams will be playing their fourth game each of the IPL 2020 when these two teams come up against each other in the 13th game of the IPL. Both the teams have had similar results up until now as they have won one and lost two.
Coincidentally, both the teams have lost a game each in the super over. We are slowly and steadily getting into the middle part of the tournament and teams like MI and KXIP who have two losses need to get some wins under their belt.
The Indian T20I openers KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma will be up against each other when these two teams meet at Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Match Details
Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians, Match 13
01st October, 07:30 PM IST.
Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Pitch and Weather Report
The month of September has almost ended but the hot weather in the Middle-east won’t end so easily. There is a high chance that it will remain hot throughout the game which means players will find it difficult in the heat.
In the last game at this venue, the pitch was a bit two-paced and SRH defended a total around 160. If the same pitch is used then it might have gotten slower which means batting first would be the way to go forward. A score around 160-170 would be a defendable one.
Squads
Kings XI Punjab
KL Rahul (C), Chris Gayle, Karun Nair, Mayank Agarwal, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Glenn Maxwell, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, James Neesham, Hardus Viljoen, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sheldon Cottrell, Chris Jordan, Ishan Porel, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Tajinder Singh, Darshan Nalkande, Murugan Ashwin, Jagdeesha Suchith, Prabhsimran Singh
Mumbai Indians
Rohit Sharma (C), Quinton De Kock, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Suryakumar Yadav, Aditya Tare, Ishan Kishan, Digvijay Deshmukh, Anmolpreet Singh, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Sherfane Rutherford, Nathan Coulter Nile, Anukul Roy, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jayant Yadav, Trent Boult, James Pattinson, Prince Balwant Rai Singh, Mohsin Khan
Team News
Kings XI Punjab
Kings XI Punjab has played some wonderful cricket but they have ended up on the wrong side of the result twice in three games. Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul have been the best opening pair in this IPL so far. Nicholas Pooran found some form towards the end of the innings in the last game.
Talking about their bowling, Ravi Bishnoi has been brilliant as he has done his job to perfection. Mohammad Shami and Sheldon Cottrell have been good with the new ball but they have struggled in the death. Against RR, over 50 runs were conceded in the last 15 balls which is not what you are expecting at this level.
KXIP hasn’t played at this venue and might take some time to get used to the conditions. KL Rahul and Ravi Bishnoi will be the key players in this game.
Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians have been pretty on and off with their performances in this tournament. They didn’t have a great first game but then they made a strong comeback in the second one. Again, in the third game, they weren’t at their best as they lost to RCB.
Quinton De Kock and Hardik Pandya haven’t fired and would like to score some runs in this game. Ishan Kishan was brilliant in his first game and he would like to continue that. MI has played at this venue which might help them understand the conditions better than the opposition.
MI won their only game when Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah performed well and hence they will be key for MI’s chances in his game.
Fantasy Prediction
Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Ishan Kishan, Quinton De Kock, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Glenn Maxwell, Kieron Pollard, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah
Captain: Rohit Sharma, Vice-Captain: Mayank Agarwal
