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Ipl 2020 Kkr Vs Kxip Hits And Flops As Knight Riders Script Another Dramatic Win

IPL 2020 | KKR vs KXIP: Hits and Flops as Knight Riders script another dramatic win

The Kolkata Knight Riders pulled off another close win after looking down and out on the back of outstanding bowling by Sunil Narine and Prasidh Krishna in the 24th match of the Indian Premier League 2020. The Kings XI Punjab really looked like a side that ran out of depth when pressure started to build up with ascending required rate and falling wickets. Captain KL Rahul made all the efforts to settle down in order to be there at the end to steer the team home, but the gamble of taking it too far in the innings did not pay off for him, and the Punjab side.

Here we decipher the best and the worst performers of the day from the match between KKR and KXIP.

Hits

Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine is redeeming himself every match after he was relieved off from the duty of providing the Knight Riders a brisk start with the bat in hand. He may be appearing a lot less threatening than he once looked against batsmen in the IPL, but captain Dinesh Karthik has made sure that his experience of bowling in tough situations and guile will not be wasted. He has been used strategically after 10th over when opposition batsmen have looked settled to tee off in the last few overs and the move has paid dividends in two consecutive matches for the Kolkata Side.

On the day when the Kings XI Punjab was steamrolling towards a comfortable victory with a lot of wickets in hand, Karthik once again turned to Narine and asked him to bring his A-game in the 18th and 20th over of the innings.

Narine accepted the challenge and derailed Punjab’s chase with a 2 run over along with a big wicket of Nicholas Pooran which turned out to be the turning point in Kings XI failing to chase down the target.

Back in the 20th over, Nine had to defend 14 runs to hand his team another comeback-win but he had to do it against Glenn Maxwell. Maxwell tried all his tricks but failed 2 runs short of KKR's 164.

Dinesh Karthik

Karthik, the captain had redeemed himself in the last game against the Chennai Super Kings when he scripted a magnificent turnaround to deny CSK an easy chase. However, an albatross was hung around his neck in terms of his own position in the batting order with a case for Eoin Morgan or Andre Russell being slotted above him.

But, Karthik silenced all his critics in an emphatic manner, and although he came to bat when his team was in a precarious position, he steered them to a defendable total. His signature shots such as inside out over cover and slog sweeps against spinners were back and Dinesh Karthik looked like the one who had caught the attention of the national selector for a finisher role.

The 29-ball-58 will do a world of good to his confidence as a batsman while another fabulous win when all looked down and out will boost his leadership credentials if there were any.

Arshdeep Singh

Arshdeep Singh was brought into the playing XI after the Kings XI Punjab’s bowling line-up started failing to keep control of matches. The young pacer from Punjab has not disappointed his coach and captain in the two outings that he has been given. In the crucial encounter against the Kolkata Knight Riders showed the glimpse of the control he has over his arsenal.

He was reintroduced in the 19th over with a task to contain Andres Russell, a job that surely is monumental for any bowler especially in the 19th over of the innings but Arshdeep kept his composure and backed his skills to come up trump against Russell.

The KXIP team must have had a strategy of bowling wide yorkers to KKR batsmen in the last over but it was down to Arshdeep to show how good a bowler he is with the execution of strategies on the field when bowling against some of the best in business. Safe to say, Arshdeep had the last laugh, dismissing Russell and limiting the damage to only nine runs in that 19th over.

Flops

KL Rahul

It’s quite rare to rank a batsman in the flop category after a 58-ball-74 inning but the fact that KL Rahul was batting from the first over of the chase and still mistimed the acceleration, should put a question mark on the strategy both he and coach Anil Kumble have in mind.

KL Rahul’s strike rate has always been in question but he refuted the criticism calling it overrated after the last game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He had said that his batting is dependent on the condition of the game but the match against the KKR proved that his idea of taking it too deep is not free from danger. Ultimately, he was dismissed in the 19th over by an impressive Prasidh Krishna and the Kings XI could not break the sling streak.

KL Rahul needs to correct many things in his team and a lot has to start with a clear-headed approach both in batting and team selection. At times, KL Rahul has looked perplexed and that is unforgivable for an IPL captain in a closely fought tournaments such as IPL.

Mujeeb-Ur Rahman

Mujeeb was included in the playing XI with the hope of bringing control and discipline in the bowling department after repetitive failures from Chris Jordan and Sheldon Cottrell but Mujeeb has not been able to do justice to the amount of faith the KXIP management has shown in him.

With the team looking for a bowler who could provide breakthroughs in the middle overs while also controlling the flow of runs, Mujeeb’s outing against the KKR was abysmal, to say the least. He was guilty of bowling indifferent lengths and that did not help captain Rahul in setting proper fields. He was either too full or too short and the KKR batting line up was not to miss out on his ineffective bowling today and they handed out a proper hammering to the Afghan spinner talking 44 runs off his quota of four overs.

The Kolkata Knight Riders are well and truly back in the IPL 2020 while the Kings XI Punjab have all but themselves to blame for the place they find themselves on the points table. A good start from KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal brought the team to the brink of ending the losing streak but the team looked nervous and when the team needed players to show temperament, they failed to seize the momentum and handed out an unlikely win to the Knight Riders.

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IPL 2020 | SRH vs RR: Match Preview, Predicted XI & Dream11 Fantasy Picks

Rajasthan Royals are coming into Sunday’s contest on the back of four straight losses. On the other hand, Sunrisers Hyderabad are fresh from a 69-run victory over Kings XI Punjab. Both the sides boast of some big names in the white-ball format. While the likes of Jos Buttler and Steve Smith add a lot of value to the Royals unit, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow have once again donned the role of flag bearers for the side. The addition of Ben Stokes for this match will inject fresh lease of life into the Royals unit. It would provide a much-needed boost to the thin middle-order. Moving on, the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mitch Marsh hasn’t put a dent on the spirits of the Orange Brigade as Rashid Khan has led the bowling front in a commendable manner. Royals bank on foreign imports to fire on all cylinders Skipper Smith has found the going tough. After back-to-back fifties, Smith is currently going through a dry spell. The Royals would want their skipper back to scoring runs. Jos Buttler has shown a glimpse of his robust touch and he could be calling the shots in the upcoming game. Jofra Archer and Rahul Tewatia have been solid customers with the ball. They have bowled to their strengths and kept the batters in a shackle. Young Kartik Tyagi is a promising talent and the thinking cricketer could spell trouble for the opposition. The Warner-Bairstow show is back, SRH look to extend winning momentum The top-order is in good touch while the likes of Manish Pandey and Kane Williamson have tasted success this season. The onus will be on the openers to provide a stellar start so that the middle-order can capitalize on it. The Sunrisers don’t bat too deep but their bowling will be the USP going into the game against Royals. Rashid Khan has been the go-to bowler for Warner. After six matches, Rashid’s economy reads 4.83 and yes that included a gig in Sharjah. Khaleel Ahmed is a street-smart seamer while T Natarajan has been the find of the season for SRH so far. Sunrisers Hyderabad v Rajasthan Royals: Match Details Match Number- 25 Date: 11th October 2020, at 3:30 PM IST Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Pitch Report: The Dubai International Cricket Stadium has witnessed a few six-hitting contests so far. The batters have looked to make the most of the square boundaries but the pacers have had a say with the new ball. It all makes up for an interesting contest. Weather and Toss: This would be the first afternoon game at this venue and it’s a no-brainer that both the sides would look to bat first in order to avoid the heat. 175-180 should be a competitive total on this wicket. Sunrisers Hyderabad - Expected XI: David Warner (C), Jonny Bairstow (WK), Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Rashid Khan, Priyam Garg, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma and T Natarajan Rajasthan Royals - Expected XI: Jos Buttler (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Steve Smith (C), Ben Stokes, Mahipal Lomror/Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat/Ankit Rajpoot and Kartik Tyagi Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals: Dream 11 team and suggestions Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, David Warner, Manish Pandey, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abdul Samad, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Rashid Khan, T Natarajan and Shreyas Gopal Captain: Sanju Samson Vice-captain: Manish Pandey

IPL 2020 | MI vs DC: Match Preview, Predicted XI & Dream 11 Fantasy Picks

The last match of the weekend will bring the Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals against each other in a much-awaited contest of two table toppers of the season. Both teams have excelled in this season in both bowling and batting departments. The teams have had a similar nervous start into the IPL 2020 but were good enough to bounce back emphatically. Delhi Capitals have dominated the season so far, winning five out of six matches they have played with an impressive rune rate of 1.257 while the Mumbai Indians have squeezed the opposition batsmen while their batsmen have batted with immense freedom and flamboyance. The Bowling lineup of both Mumbai and Delhi Capitals have one surprise each in their bowling lineup with James Pattinson and Anrich Nortje making headlines after coming into the tournament as replacements. Both the teams are riding high on wicket-takers in their bowling line with Trent Boult and Bumrah form a formidable triplet along with Pattinson while Delhi Capitals have their hopes running high on the pair of Kagiso Rabada. There is little to separate between the two sides until now this season and the match may very well be their toughest battle both against bowlers as well batsmen of the other team so far in the season. Rohit’s Mumbai is more experienced and hence can be relied upon to hold their nerves but Shreyas Iyer’s side, too, has shown a certain sense of calmness to deal with some crunch moments of a particular game. Although the teams have a very lengthy batting order, the openers have also played a significant role in building such a success story in this season for these teams but their task will be cut out as Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock will be up against Rabada and Nortje, followed by the crafts of Ravichandran Ashwin whereas Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw will have to show their class against Trent Boult, Pattinson and followed by Jasprit Bumrah. Needless to say, the batsmen have a mountain ahead of them to cross over and earn a win for their respective teams. The success story of these two teams can be stated with the fact that Sharjah which otherwise has turned out to be a nightmare for the bowlers could do little to dent the potency of the bowling lineups of these teams. Both Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals won their last game in Sharjah on the back of strong bowling that dismantled the batting lineup of the opposing sides. There are not a lot of things that the match will change in terms of teams’ positioning on the points table as the battle will be to become number one. Rohit’s slides will be eager to prove that they are consistent and can still win matches in quick succession while the Shreyas Iyer’s side will be itching to get out on the filed to establish that the team has matured over time and that the brand of cricket they play can produce favorable results for a considerably long period of time. Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals: Match Details Match number- 27 Date: October 11, 2020 at 7:30 PM IST, 14:00 AM GMT, 6:00 PM Local Venue: Abu Dhabi Pitch and weather A used pitch that was used in the match b between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Kings XI Punjab will be used again for the clash of the titans of the IPL 2020 and that may influence captains into deciding to bat first after winning the toss. There are chances of due in the latter part of the second innings of the game and the Delhi Capitals rely on R Ashwin and Axar Patel to bring good results with spin and the due factor may also add into the captain's dilemma after the toss. However, the threat of a slowing pitch should overweigh the threat of due in the last part of the game. The weather in Abu Dhabi is likely to remain ideal to play cricket with the temperature hovering in the range between 30 degrees to 35 degrees and a possibility of breezes going across the ground will make the conditions pleasant for the players on the field. Team News Mumbai Indians Mumbai Indians have made the least number of changes to their playing XI so far in this season and the trend is likely to continue in the game against the Delhi Capitals as well. Rohit Sharma does not have any reasons either to tinker with the winning team and that means Nathan Coulter-Nile who missed out due to the injury will remain sitting out in the dugout even if he recovers from his injury. Expected XI Rohit Sharma (captain), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, James Pattinson, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah Delhi Capitals With Shimron Hetmyer coming good in the last game against the Rajasthan Royals, the Delhi Capitals look like a well-balanced side and there is a high chance that Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting will not look to make any changes in playing XI. Shikhar Dhawan has looked good so far in the tournament but he is yet to produce a match-winning effort on his own and with Ainkya Rahane sitting in the dugout, there will be some pressure on him to lead the team’s batting effort at the top of the order. Expected XI Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Rishabh Pant (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals: Dream 11 team and suggestion Quinton de Kock, Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Kieron Pollard, Marcus Stoinis Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada Captain: Rohit Sharma Vice-captain: Shreyas Iyer Delhi Capitals have dominated the season so far, winning five out of six matches they have played with an impressive rune rate of 1.257 while the Mumbai Indians have squeezed the opposition batsmen while their batsmen have batted with immense freedom and flamboyance. The Bowling lineup of both Mumbai and Delhi Capitals have one surprise each in their bowling lineup with James Pattinson and Anrich Nortje making headlines after coming into the tournament as replacements. Bot the teams are riding high on wicket-takers in their bowling line with Trent Boult and Bumrah form a formidable triplet along with Pattinson while Delhi Capitals have their hopes running high on the pair of Kagiso Rabada. There is little to separate between the two sides until now this season and the match may very well be their toughest battle both against bowlers as well batsmen of the other team so far in the season. Rohit’s Mumbai is more experienced and hence can be relied upon to hold their nerves but Shreyas Iyer’s side, too, has shown a certain sense of calmness to deal with some crunch moments of a particular game. Although the teams have a very lengthy batting order, the openers have also played a significant role in building such a success story in this season for these teams but their task will be cut out as Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock will be up against Rabada and Nortje, followed by the crafts of Ravichandran Ashwin whereas Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw will have to show their class against Trent Boult, Pattinson and followed by Jasprit Bumrah. Needless to say, the batsmen have a mountain ahead of them to cross over and earn a win for their respective teams. The success story of these two teams can be stated with the fact that Sharjah which otherwise has turned out to be a nightmare for the bowlers could do little to dent the potency of the bowling lineups of these teams. Both Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals won their last game in Sharjah on the back of strong bowling that dismantled the batting lineup of the opposing sides. There are not a lot of things that the match will change in terms of teams’ positioning on the points table as the battle will be to become number one. Rohit’s slides will be eager to prove that they are consistent and can still win matches in quick succession while the Shreyas Iyer’s side will be itching to get out on the filed to establish that the team has matured over time and that the brand of cricket they play can produce favorable results for a considerably long period of time. Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals: Match Details Match number- 27 Date: October 11, 2020 at 7:30 PM IST, 14:00 AM GMT, 6:00 PM Local Venue: Abu Dhabi Pitch and weather A used pitch that was used in the match b between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Kings XI Punjab will be used again for the clash of the titans of the IPL 2020 and that may influence captains into deciding to bat first after winning the toss. There are chances of due in the latter part of the second innings of the game and the Delhi Capitals rely on R Ashwin and Axar Patel to bring good results with spin and the due factor may also add into the captain's dilemma after the toss. However, the threat of a slowing pitch should overweigh the threat of due in the last part of the game. The weather in Abu Dhabi is likely to remain ideal to play cricket with the temperature hovering in the range between 30 degrees to 35 degrees and a possibility of breezes going across the ground will make the conditions pleasant for the players on the field. Team News Mumbai Indians Mumbai Indians have made the least number of changes to their playing XI so far in this season and the trend is likely to continue in the game against the Delhi Capitals as well. Rohit Sharma does not have any reasons either to tinker with the winning team and that means Nathan Coulter-Nile who missed out due to the injury will remain sitting out in the dugout even if he recovers from his injury. Expected XI Rohit Sharma (captain), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, James Pattinson, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah Delhi Capitals With Shimron Hetmyer coming good in the last game against the Rajasthan Royals, the Delhi Capitals look like a well-balanced side and there is a high chance that Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting will not look to make any changes in playing XI. Shikhar Dhawan has looked good so far in the tournament but he is yet to produce a match-winning effort on his own and with Ainkya Rahane sitting in the dugout, there will be some pressure on him to lead the team’s batting effort at the top of the order. Expected XI Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Rishabh Pant (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals: Dream 11 team and suggestion Quinton de Kock, Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Kieron Pollard, Marcus Stoinis Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada Captain: Rohit Sharma Vice-captain: Shreyas Iyer

IPL 2020: We aren't playing good enough over the 40 overs- Steve Smith

Steve Smith-led Rajasthan Royals suffered their fourth straight loss in the ongoing IPL 2020. Their latest defeat has come in the hands of Delhi Capitals at Sharjah. The skipper responded to the 46-run loss stating that they were beaten in all three facets of the game. In a venue like Sharjah, the bowlers did well to restrict Delhi to 184. However, the batters failed to rise up to the challenge as they were folded for 138. Smith sounded optimistic as he vows to change the fortunes of the team. "We are not playing good enough over the 40 overs, and not executing when the pressure is coming on and you can't win many games that way. The bowlers did a good job, and I don't think the wicket was as good as it has been here, a bit sloppy tonight, and we gave away 10-15 extra runs. We have to remain positive, turn things around quickly. At the moment it doesn't seem to be going our way." The 31-year-old hasn’t fire with the bat in his last four outings and it has been a concern for the side with a thin batting line-up. Smith hit a couple of fifties but couldn’t bail his side out of trouble thereafter. Meanwhile, the Royals would be hopeful of having the presence of Ben Stokes in the side for the next encounter.

IPL 2020 | DC vs RR: 3 Reasons Why Delhi shrug off Rajasthan to reach top of the table

Team to beat in this tournament, Delhi Capitals maintained their dominance in the Indian Premier League defeating Rajasthan Royals by 46 runs in the 23rd match of the cash-rich league. Playing at the high scoring venue of Sharjah, Rajasthan Royals capitulated once again and failed to chase down a 185-run target set by Shreyas Iyer and his men. The top order heavy team were sent packing by the halfway point of the chase with their top three batsmen in Jos Buttler, Steve Smith and Sanju Samson failing to grab any ground. With the batting stalwarts out of the equation, Rajasthan never had enough firepower in their middle order to stage a comeback against a staunch Delhi bowling and at the end of the day lost the game by a big margin of 46 runs. On that note, here are the three reasons why Delhi Capitals breezed past Rajasthan Royals to move to the top of the table. Shimron Hetmyer Sent to bat in the first innings after losing the toss, despite scoring at a healthy rate, Delhi Capitals were struggling for momentum at the halfway stage, losing their entire top order, courtesy some awful running between the wickets. When Hetmyer walked into the crease, Delhi had just lost Rishabh Pant in a horrendous mix-up with Marcus Stoinis and were reeling at 79/4 in 9.2 overs. Like most successful batsmen have done in this tournament, Hetmyer too took some time to settle in nodding around the first 10 odd balls. He then constructed a crucial partnership along with Marcus Stoinis to put Delhi at a place where the bowlers had something to defend in this ground. Before he finally got out to Kartik Tyagi trying to hit him for the third consecutive six in the 17th over, Hetmyer had scored 45 off 23 balls. Returning to field later, he took two stunning catches in the boundary line to affect dismissals of Steve Smith and Shreyas Gopal. Rajasthan order top order The Rajasthan Royals top order have been in shambles for almost the entire duration of the tournament. After losing their last game against Mumbai by 59 runs, Steve Smith had said that they understand the issues and would look to gain some momentum before Ben Stokes comes into the squad. The top order has consistently failed to show up and provide Royals with the momentum they need in this tournament. But to no avail, Rajasthan scripted the same narrative once again. On the night, mainstays Steve Smith and Sanju Samson threw away their wickets when Rajasthan needed them to see the innings through and young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal barely looked comfortable during his stay at the crease. Rajasthan would really hope that either the law of averages catches up to them, or Ben Stokes singlehandedly manages to change the fortunes of this franchise. Delhi hunt in pack A target of 185 is not something that any team is unfamiliar or uncomfortable with at the Sharjah Stadium. For that matter, it was Rahul Tewatia of Rajasthan Royals who carved an incredible IPL story in this ground chasing down an impossible target 224 runs against the Kings XI Punjab on the 27th of last month. But comeback stories are not made every day. Losing their best batsmen within the first 10 overs meant that Rajasthan had a nearly impossible task ahead of them against a team that bowled and fielded well on an everyday basis. Barring Axar Patel who bowled just 2 overs for 8 runs everyone else was amongst wickets tonight. The bowling unit frustrated the batsmen and squeezed soft dismissals out of them with Rabada being the pick of the bowlers notching up 3 wickets. However, Ravichandran Ashwin was awarded the man of the match trophy on the night for his fantastic spell of 2/22 in four overs where he picked two crucial wickets of Jos Buttler and Mahipal Lomror. For Rajasthan Royals, it is now a tournament of survival. Most teams know their chinks in the armour and have exploited the same to win against them by huge margins in the last four games. With games coming thick and fast, Rajasthan need to turn their campaign around against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, who have not really settled in the tournament as well. They play their next game on Sunday, 11 October and have barely any time for recovery before the doubleheader. Some might pray that the law of averages catches up to them and the team sees a turnaround in their fortunes, but at the current state, no amount of luck can help the team if they consistently keep underperforming in the tournament.