BCCI Apex council to meet on Oct 17; England series a prime agenda for discussion

IPL 2020 | KKR vs KXIP: Match Preview, Predicted XI & Dream 11 Fantasy Picks

We are nearing the middle of the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League with the tournament entering the second weekend of doubleheaders that will see all the eight teams in action establish their positioning on the [points table. Teams sitting at the top would look to strengthen their rank by continuing on their winning ways while themes that are struggling at the bottom half of the table will have a chance to start fresh and reboot their chances. In the first match of the doubleheader on Saturday, October 10, the Kings XI Punjab will have to challenge the Kolkata Knight Riders who have shown promises of coming back to their own after a lot of changes that were in the team order in the last game against the Chennai Super Kings. The KKR made various amendments that were plaguing the team both in batting and bowling. The experimentation of opening with Sunil Narine was stopped and Rahul Tripathi, who was rife to bat in the top order was assigned the duty of doing so However, there were few surprise calls as Narine walked out to bat ahead of Eoin Morgan and Andre Russell but that looked more of a tactical move to take on the CSK’s spinner than a strategic move to slot Narine at the number 4 position. Anyway, all’s well that ends well as the KKR bowlers squeezed Chennai's batsmen to snatch a victory that looked beyond their grasp. Agin, captain Dinesh Karthik made a brilliant tactical move of not introducing Narine in the first 10 overs and held him back for the latter half, knowing the vulnerabilities of batsmen such as MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav who were looking rusty against Narine who obviously has some tricks up his sleeve. On the other hand, the journey of the Kings XI Punjab has become bad to worse after the team has now received hammering in two back to back encounters. In the first instance, it was the bowlers who were put to the sword by the CSK’s opening duo of Shane Watson and Faf Du Plessis while the batsmen’s chance of facing annihilation came in the last game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Punjab’s having a free-fall after making an impressive start into the tournament, challenging the Delhi Capitals which now sits comfortably at the number 2 on the points table. The opening pair of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal was the best batsmen for sometime in this season and both had compiled one century each this season while the likes of Mohammed Shami and Sheldon Cottrell were looking menacing with the ball to take on any opponent. Somewhere, the team has lost the steam, and with that also a bit of self-esteem to win the game from precarious situations. Now, as the team has got into the habit of losing the game, the role of coach Anil Kumble has become increasingly critical to re-energize the group and inspire the team to bury what happened in the last few games and start afresh. Also, he needs to talk to KL Rahul, the batsman as a lot is riding on his batting as well as his captaincy. He does not seem to be fussed about the mediocre strike rate he is batting with, but as the pressure mounts with every losing game, KL Rahul may well lose his touch and that will be a game over for the Kings XI Punjab. The team is full of talents and match winners but they are not playing well as a unit and hence the role of leadership including Anil Kumble is paramount if KXIP has to turn things around in this season. Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Match Details Match number- 24 Date: October 10, 2020 at 3:30 PM IST, 10:00 AM GMT, 2:00 PM Local Venue: Abu Dhabi Pitch and weather A fresh pitch will be used for the game between the KKR and the KXIP and the fact that the due will not be a factor that can influence the decision of captains after the toss, teams are likely to opt to bat first. The new pitch will bring the balls on to the bat and the stroke playing will be easy and also the overhead conditions given this will be a day game will also factor in the captain's call to bat first. The weather can be challenging for the team on the field but a delayed IPL means they will not see the worst of the UAE’s weather while fielding. Team News Kolkata Knight Riders KKR pacer Ali Khan who would have become the first player from the United States to play in the IPL has suffered an injury setback. There are conflicting reports on his availability for the remainder of this season but that is unlikely to do any damage to KKR’s chances in the IPL 2020, at least in the short run. Dinesh Karthik is more than likely to field an unchanged XI after having such a successful night against the Chennai Super Kings. Rahul Tripathi may have sealed an opening spot for himself while Sunil Narine is likely to remain as a floater in the batting line up who will be used as part of horses for courses to take on the spinners. Expected XI Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Dinesh Karthik (captain & wk), Eoin Morgan, Pat Cummins, Varun Chakravarthy, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Kings XI Punjab Kings XI team management has received a lot of flack for bringing too many changes in too few matches this season and it looks probable that the trend will continue. The team was looking to bring Chris Gayle in the last game against the Sunrisers but an upset stomach ruled him out and the big man from Jamaica will be itching to get a feel of the IPL 2020 with a big inning against one of the former teams in the IPL. If Gayle is included, it would be curtains for Gleen Maxwell who really has looked out of sorts even when he was coming into this tournament in a rich vein of form in England. Mujeeb Ur Rahman is likely to retain his place in the XI and so as Prabhsimran Singh, the wicketkeeper-batsman from Punjab who was assigned the task to bring stability at number 3 position after opening pair of Rahul and Agarwal. Gayle’s inclusion will push him to number four with Nicholas Pooran, Mandeep Singh to take on the bowlers around him. Expected XI KL Rahul (Captain), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Mandeep Singh, Nicholas Pooran, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Sheldon Cottrell Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Dream 11 team and suggestions KL Rahul, Nicholas Pooran, Eoin Morgan, Rahul Tripathi, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Andre Russell, Shivam Mavi, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Arsh Deep Singh Captain: KL Rahul Vice-captain: Eoin Morgan

IPL 2020: Strike-rates are overrated - KL Rahul

Under-fire Kings XI Punjab skipper KL Rahul has shrugged off talks over his strike-rate, stating that numbers can be misleading at times. According to many cricket pundits, Rahul has adapted to a steady role in order to cover up for the lack of depth in the KXIP batting line-up. Rahul has been the highest run-scorer so far this season. However, his strike-rate in powerplays - 113.3 doesn't do justice to his potential or past heroics. His slow approach came under the scanner in the match against Rajasthan Royals. While Mayank Agarwal was scoring freely, Rahul made a 54-ball 69 in Sharjah. Punjab eventually lost the game in spite of putting up a solid total on board. Yesterday, the elegant batter made a 16-ball 11 while chasing 202. "Strike-rates are very, very overrated," Rahul opined after the game. "For me, it's only about how I can win games for my team. And if on a certain day I think a strike-rate of 120 can win the game for my team, I will do that. This is how I bat and I would like to take responsibility as a leader. We all make mistakes, I'm not saying I have not made a few mistakes but you learn each day as a leader, as a batter.” The skipper had a word of praise for his bowlers for pulling back things after David Warner-Jonny Bairstow’s scintillating first wicket stand. Rahul said he is happy with the way bowlers kept coming back, especially at the death overs. Punjab currently finds themselves at the bottom of the points table with a solo win in six games. Powered by Froala Editor

IPL 2020: Anil Kumble reveals reason behind Chris Gayle's exclusion for the match against Sunrisers

Explosive opener Chris Gayle’s exclusion for the game between Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad raised a few eyebrows. KXIP having lost four out of five games, needed a major shuffle to strengthen their batting line-up. However, Gayle yet again failed to make the cut in IPL 2020. Head coach Anil Kumble later revealed that the Jamaican batsman was set to play but he was down due to food poisoning. “Gayle was set to play against SRH but he is down with food poisoning,” said Kumble. Meanwhile, Mayank Agarwal, the KXIP batsman, had stated that Gayle is sharing his vast experience with the batters in the dressing room. Agarwal had played with Gayle at Royal Challengers Bangalore previously. The batter added that it’s always fantastic to have a conversation with the veteran. “Gayle is an integral part of KXIP whether playing or mentoring. He has been speaking to all of us, contributing in the batter’s meeting and also sharing stuff which is crucial. I have had great conversations with Gayle. We first played together in RCB and just watching him play and chatting is fantastic," Agarwal said. KL Rahul’s side lost to Hyderabad to mark their fifth loss in six games. The side is currently at the bottom of the points table with two points in their kitty. Powered by Froala Editor

IPL 2020 | SRH vs KXIP: 3 Reasons Why Hyderabad defeat Punjab by a big margin of 69 runs

The Sunrisers Hyderabad effected a clinical 69-run win over a disarrayed Kings XI Punjab in the 22nd match of the Indian Premier League on Thursday, 8 October at the Dubai International Stadium. Things went Sunrisers way from the start after captain David Warner won the toss and chose to bat first. With the venue overwhelming favouring the teams that bat first, nobody could complain about the decision. The prolific David Warner-Jonny Bairstow from the last season finally clicked together at the halfway mark of the tournament putting up 160-run together in just 15 overs. Runaway winners at that point of the match, SRH managed to give it up losing six wickets in the next five overs and were restricted to 201 in their registered 20 overs, at least 20-30 runs short of what they would have actually liked to defend with the makeshift bowling. Coming into the chase, none barring Nicholas Pooran fired in all cylinders and Punjab managed to mess up a difficult but achievable run chase in comical fashion. The West Indian waged a one-man war in a shot-laden innings of 77 where he hit 7 huge sixes and at the end of the day, it was just not enough with his teammates falling apart like a pack of cards. On that note here are the three reasons why Sunrisers Hyderabad won a crucial game in their campaign against KL Rahul’s Kings XI Punjab. David Warner and Jonny Bairstow Making a name for themselves in the last season as the most dangerous opening pair in the Indian Premier League, the unlikely combination of an Australia and an Englishmen scored a total of 1137 runs between them. Things were not coming off since the start of this season with David Warner unable to find his timing. With a partnership long overdue, both the batsmen broke their shackles to put together a stellar 160-run stand to entertain the crowd, err…the viewers at home. While Warner scored 52 off 40 balls and played the anchor role, Bairstow hit 6 sixes and 7 boundaries en route his 97-run innings. Warner later in the second innings, started the KXIP debacle affecting an excellent runout of in form Mayank Agarwal which halted Punjab's momentum from the get-go and put SRH in control of the game. Rashid Khan Rashid Khan is back to doing what he does best, picking wickets. With ace pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar out of the equation for the tournament, Rashid Khan has taken it upon himself to be the leader of the pack. This is the second time that Rashid picked up three wickets in a match this season and last night he was the sole reason KXIP had to give the fight. At the time when Pooran was playing one of the best innings of his life, Rashid Khan nonchalantly walked down his runup and bowled a well-measured googly at a good pace. Pooran punched the ball uppishly and put the ball in the safe hands of Khaleel Ahmed. Game! Set! Match! With Pooran gone and Rashid still left with one ball in his full quota of four overs, he caught a clueless Mohammed Shami plumb in front to pick up the eighth wicket of the KXIP innings. Mujeeb Ur Rahman Don’t get me wrong, I am not singling out any Punjab bowler because when you let Warner and Bairstow settle you can only sit back and watch. Mujeeb Ur Rahman finally got a chance to play in the first XI after much criticism of the Punjab thinktank about their bowling combination. He gave away 39 runs in his four overs failing to register any impact on the SRH batting line-up, but it was his batting that puts his name on this list. In the 14th over of the game, Mujeeb edged a ball back to the keeper. A loud appeal from bowler Khaleel Ahmed and keeper Bairstow was turned down by the on-field umpire but the umpires sent the decision upstairs to check for bump ball. Once the soft signal (not out) was overturned and as Mujeeb started walking back towards his dugout, he turned back and signalled for review himself. Now, according to the laws that govern the IPL, a batsman can neither consult the dugout nor can the dugout send out instructions to the batsmen to review an umpire’s decision. With umpires sending the decision back upstairs to check for an ultra-edge, Mujeeb had to take the long walk back again. The good thing is that Mujeeb’s review became inconsequential with Pooran giving a dolly into the hands of Khaleel. But with six overs still to go, what would have happened if there was a tight call involving Pooran? This could have turned out to be a huge talking point in the game and Twitter would have been up in arms against the young Afghan. KXIP losing one more match in the Indian Premier League 2020 means that they are the only team in the league, reeling at 2 points from six games. They have lost 4 consecutive games and for a side that looked so solid initially, their fallacies have been exposed by the other teams time and again. Punjab play their next match against Kolkata Knight Riders who would be on a high after restricting Chennai Super Kings in a mind-boggling game. Punjab will need to find the correct combination and just get on with it if they want to remain in the competition.