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Kxip Vs Kkr What Experts Said As Punjab Inch Closer To Once Impossible Playoff Berth

KXIP vs KKR: What Experts said as Punjab inch closer to once-impossible Playoff berth

Kings XI Punjab registered their fifth win in a row to boost their chances of making it to the Playoffs of the 13^th edition of the Indian Premier League. Their eight-wicket victory in Sharjah over the Kolkata Knight Riders, who are also in the hunt for the fourth spot in the playoffs table, lifted the morale of the players, and the captain KL Rahul was delighted as well.

Captains’ Viewpoints

KL Rahul, who always had a sulking face after the match, during the first phase of the tournament, seemed really happy tonight as he said, “I am very happy. The whole team will be.” He said this while speaking post-match the presentation ceremony

Elaborating on the plan that the team had hatched before the start of the game, the 29-year-old said, “We collectively decided to go out there and play positive cricket, and things can turn around. It is different persons putting their hands up at different times. Fingers crossed that we can win a few more games.”

Mandeep Singh, who scored a match-winning 66 off 56 balls, lost his father just a few days ago, and to come back so strongly and finish the way he did was an act of inspiration for the skipper. He said, “The kind of toughness Mandeep has shown has rubbed on to others. Everybody is emotional. Just to put his hand up, just to be there, just to finish off the game, makes us so proud.”

Answering as to how come two leggies are being played in the same team by the Kings XI, Rahul said, “When we have Anil Kumble as a coach, it is no surprise we are playing two legspinners. He always had that in mind. He has worked really really hard on them. And not just on them, but also those who haven't played yet.”

The turnaround that the Punjab unit has seen in the last five games started with the first game that Chris Gayle played in the entire tournament. Praising the Jamaican, Rahul said, “Chris, it was a very hard decision not to play him, he is the hungriest I have seen in the last seven-eight years playing for different franchises.”

Answering a question on what is going to be his and the team’s plans in the next two days, he said, “We will enjoy tonight's victory, enjoy tomorrow, and then start thinking about the next game. One game at a time keeps the confidence going and keeps the energy going.”

Eoin Morgan, the losing captain from KKR was disappointed that his team wasn’t able to stitch together long partnerships to set up a challenging total “Particularly here at Sharjah, you have to counterattack if you lose early wickets, and identify the wicket early. Disappointed with the partnerships, thought we could have scored more runs,” Morgan said.

Saying that 180-190 would have been a good total on the ground, the Englishman criticised the fact that their team has had a lot of challenge changing grounds almost every game. “When we were three down, we wanted a partnership going. Around 180-190 would have been a good score, but we kept losing wickets. That's one of the challenges this year, going from ground to ground. Hopefully, we adjust to the conditions in Dubai,” Morgan said.

The 33- year-old exuberated confidence saying, “Our faith is in our own hands in the last two games. I think Gill scoring runs and restricting the Kings till the 11th or 12th over, those were the positives.”

Expert Opinion

Mandeep Singh’s brilliant innings under pressure and also under grief was appreciated by all while the Punjab come back was the next biggest discussion.

Veteran cricket analyst Ayaz Memon said that Kolkata batting did not look stable at all and the fact that they are still not able to find their best XI is a problem that needs addressing at the earliest.

The senior journalist also praised the efforts by Kings coach and captain Anil Kumble and KL Rahul respectively for their effort to encourage Mandeep Singh and talk to him after he scored his fifty.

Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar also praised the Kings and their heroes Chris Gayle and Mandeep Singh for taking the crucial two points.

Boria Majumdar, senior cricket expert pointed out how ill-ordered the planning of the KKR was that they played Kamlesh Nagarkoti, an out and out bowler ahead of Pat Cummins in the batting order and didn't even bowl him a single over. The reasoning for is this is beyond anybody's understanding, maybe apart from the KKR management.

Kolkata based senior journalist Joy Bhattacharjya put some 'pun' in the glorious comeback of the Punjab team.

As Morgan said, the fate of KKR lies in their hand now, the equation is simple- they have to win both their two games. For Kings too, it is simple- Win the next two get into the top four. It would be interesting to see, which top teams eventually make it to the Playoffs.

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KXIP vs KKR: Mandeep, Gayle, Shami extend Punjab's winning streak to five

Kings XI Punjab added yet another chapter to their last-minute resurgence by lording the 150-run chase against Kolkata Knight Riders in the 46th match of the Indian Premier League. Mandeep Singh and Chris Gayle claimed the honours with contrasting fifties after Mohammed Shami ripped apart KKR's top-order with a scorching three-wicket haul. With five victories on the bounce, thieves KXIP haven't just discovered a window of opportunity but shattered the living daylights out of it to create room to sneak into the empire of playoffs. Punjab sling from the blocks KL Rahul and Mandeep Singh scored at a fair clip during the PowerPlay, as KXIP rock and rolled to 36 for naught. Varun Chakravarthy must have been on cloud nine after the unexpected promotion to the blue jersey, and brought home yet another reason to smile with the prized scalp of the Orange Cap holder. The flatter trajectory did the trick, the pushed- through drifter beating Rahul's attempted tuck to ping him on the knee flap. Although Chris Gayle served the mystery dealer a harsh reality check with consecutive thumps out of the park. Mandy-Gayle bully KKR out of the contest Still coming to grips with the emotional trauma, Mandeep anchored the chase with the sagacity of a monk, hefting his bat to the heavens as a tribute to his late father after registering his maiden half-century of the season. Gayle ploughed the same furrow, notching his 30th IPL fifty forthwith as the equation stooped to 14 off 18. The collaboration toasting a ton concurred with the left-handed dasher perishing on the brink of victory for 51 off just 29 balls. But the damage was already done by then. Though a bit trivial in the grander scheme of things, Rahul Tripathi was a force to be reckoned with in the outfield tonight, winging across the turf to produce a rocket side-arm flick from deep square leg which almost nabbed Mandeep short of his ground before forbidding a certain boundary with a goalkeeper dive to his right. Contributors of such value purchase themselves more time in the squad, even if the runs aren't exactly flowing. Punjab a searing goblet of fire The sheer volumes of confidence KL Rahul and his troops have procured from their glorious, come-from behind stint of late was pretty evident to the naked eye. Be it fielders leaving no stone unturned to protect that boundary or pacemen raising hell, KXIP were firing on all cylinders. Part-timer Glenn Maxwell laid the first stone as Nitish Rana buggered up a sweep to short fine leg. Mohammed Shami then put his shoulder to the wheel, peppering the fourth-stump channel to eliminate Rahul Tripathi and Dinesh Karthik in identical fashion, subtle lateral movement grazing the outside edge. The latter even wasted a review owing to the misconception that the inside half of the bat thudded into the pad at the very instant when the cherry wobbled through. Gill back to where he belongs Periods of vigilance generally ensue such top-order implosions, though the advent of the slam-bang format has ruffled up the dynamics a bit. Shubman Gill and Eoin Morgan threw caution to the wind, slaying their blades with unflappable audacity to frame a counter-punching 81-run stand. The salvo from thin air pegged KXIP on the backfoot, but KL Rahul hurled directives from his vantage point to ensure against a dip in intensity. It was only a matter of one miscue, and the moment of triumph arrived in the 10th over with the southpaw hoicking Ravi Bishnoi down mid-wicket's throat for a sly 4o. Floater Sunil Narine followed suit, swinging for the mountains only to witness a hash of his sticks. Having copped a great deal of flak for plying his trade sans urgency in recent times, Gill was a man on a mission to prove his detractors wrong, each stroke from his willow spitting fire en route a brisk 57. No prizes for guessing, Kolkata underachieve Robbed off the strike in the death throes, lone wolf Gill bit the dust when an agricultural heave found cow corner, while Pat Cummins trod back in dejection after being falsely adjudged leg-before, with no reviews left in the tank to call for rescue. Spare for a handy 24 by Lockie Ferguson, the tail didn't wag at all, let alone ferociously, as KKR paused for an exigent, below par total. What's on the cards next? KXIP's ming-boggling revival has now stowed a crackerjack of an eleventh-hour tussle for the semi-final berths that are up for grabs. The IPL caravan hits a half-century as the gatecrashers stumble upon fellow contenders Rajasthan Royals in Abu Dhabi on Friday, October 30. Chennai Super Kings are the official party-poopers and will aim to throw a monkey wrench in KKR's jostle for qualification a day earlier on October 29.

Rishabh Pant excluded from white-ball series; Rohit to miss whole tour

The Indian selection committee has picked the squads for a two-month-long full tour to Australia that will comprise of T20Is, ODIs and Tests series. This was the first selection committee meeting held under the leadership of former Indian spinner Sunil Joshi and there were some interesting choices made by the committee with the options they had at their disposal. Indian vice-captain in the white-ball formats Rohit Sharma has not been included in any of three series and the Board of Control for Cricket in India has informed that the star right-hander will be put under observation to monitor the progress. Apart from Rohit Sharma missing out, the medical team will also keep a close eye on Ishant Sharma and the pacer has not been named in the Test squad as of now. Rishabh Pant has not performed well in the opportunities he was provided in the ODIs and T20Is and the selection panel has not selected him for either the ODI series or the T-20 series. Instead, Sanju Samson has earned a call up to the T-20 squad as a backup wicketkeeper to KL Rahul who has been in impressive form in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League. The selection panel has decided to put their weight behind KL Rahul’s technique and pedigree for the Test series in Australia and has included him in the red-ball squad to take on Australia although his recent numbers in the longest form of cricket do not make him worthy of a place in the team. Here are the full squads for the three series down under India T20I squad Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul (vice-captain and wicket-keeper), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, Varun Chakravarthy India ODI squad Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (vice-captain & wicket-keeper), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Agarwal, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur India Test squad Virat Kohli (Captain), Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Mohd. Siraj

IPL 2020: RCB pacer Navdeep Saini doubtful for Mumbai Indians game

Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer Navdeep Saini is a doubtful starter for the game against Mumbai Indians after sustaining an injury to his right hand. The speed gun split the webbing of his right hand during the match against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday. His attempted to stop a ball while bowling the 18th over of CSK’s innings. “Saini has split his webbing in the last ball there. He obviously got hit on the thumb on the right hand. He has just split the webbing over there. Fortunately, we had a good hand surgeon, he stitched up nicely. So we could just monitor over the night and check it after getting ready for the next game,” Evan Speechly, RCB’s head physiotherapist said. Skipper Virat Kohli had suffered a similar injury against Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2016. Kohli had eight stitches in his right hand before coming out to bat. The batter went on to score 75* in that particular match and followed it up with a 113 off just 50 balls against Kings XI Punjab. “Virat, four-five years ago, he had it in Kolkata, we managed to stop the bleeding and he smashed a 100 after we got a plastic surgeon who had stitched it.” he added. RCB are at the third spot in the points table currently. Saini has scalped five wickets in 11 games at an economy of 7.95.

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

The Sunrisers Hyderabad will start an uphill task of toppling the top three sides in the IPL 2020 in terms of their standings in the points table in order to stand any chance of making it the playoffs. The task will begin with the clash against one of the table-toppers Delhi Capitals who have been quite phenomenal apart from some hiccups here and there. The Sunrisers Hyderabad have looked like a fragile team with weakness at almost every level but the failure of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow could well have turned out to be their biggest nemesis this year as the team has struggled to chase even modest scores such as in the last game against the Kings XI Punjab. The Sunrisers’ bowling attack has come up impressively after their leader of the pack Bhuvneshwar Kumar was ruled out of the tournament very early along with the setback of the all-rounder Mitchell Marsh. The game against the Delhi Capitals will be a do or die game for the Sunrisers who have to go past their ‘complacency’ in batting and post a huge total on the board just like the Kolkata Knight Riders did in the last game against the Delhi Capitals otherwise the flamboyance in the Delhi’s team will run through men in orange in no time. David Warner has been a pillar of success for the Sunrisers since the time has made his entry to the franchise but his bat has been searching for fluency in the season and he looks desperately out of form. He started to look good in the last game against the KXIP but could not convert the start into a big and match-winning one while Jonny Bairstow is looking half the player he used to look in the match preceding the IPL this year. It looks like he is mentally not in with his technique and lacing the self-confidence to chart out ways to dominate bowlers. These two batsmen are the best openers a team can get and the worst combination for any bowling attack given the difference in stroke-making and areas they score heavily in. If the Sunrisers have to dare to take a punt on the fortune by winning their last three games, both Warner and Bairstow will have to muster back with their usual style of batting and partnership. On the other hand, the Delhi Capitals will be itching to get back on the winning ways after facing defeats in their last two matches. In the last game, the Shreyas Iyer-led side was outplayed by the KKR in all the departments and it will be a chance for the Delhi’s men to run riots against the Sunrisers, in the same manner, they have been doing against almost all the teams in the IPL 2020 so far. The team had started well against the KKK taking early wickets but the pair of Nitish Rana and Sunil Narine took on the bowlers after the initial burst of outstanding blowing spells by the both Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje. The spinning duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Axa Patel could not contain the KKR batsmen in the middle overs and ended up leaking too many runs that helped the struggling KKr side run away with a big total. Shreyas Iyer would hope both Ashwin and Axar will find their rhythm back and with two Indian batsmen in the SRH’s middle order, their role will be as crucial as of Nortje and Rabada in the initial overs. In the batting department, the lack of form shown by Ajinkya Rahane will be a point of concern for the Delhi management and the team would be hopeful of settling the opening woes before the playoffs begin in the tournament. Shreyas Iyer, too, has looked ominous with classy shots in the last few innings but a big and decisive knock has eluded him for a period longer than he would like and will be looking to correct the record against the Sunrisers. Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Capitals: Match details Match Number - 47 Date: 27th October 2020, at 7:30 PM IST Venue: Dubai Pitch and weather The pitch hat was used in the low scoring game between the Chennai Super Kings and the Royal Challengers Bangalore will be used for this game as well. This implies that the pitch will get very slow and will make stroke playing extremely difficult except the dew may play a major role and helps the ball to come on the bat nicely. The pitch in the last game was a new one and still, it made batsmen like Virat Kohli, and AB de Villiers struggled for timing and big hits and it is more than likely the pitch will offer less and less pace for batsmen to work with in the next game between the Sunrsiers and the Delhi Capitals. The weather conditions in the UAE have been superb to play cricket and in the night time, the atmosphere becomes pleasant for players as the temperature dips below the 30 degrees point. Team News Sunrisers Hyderabad The Sunrisers lost their last game from a situation where their win was almost inevitable but the lack of firepower in the lower middle overs along with the inexperienced players may well have tipped the balance against their favour. Priyam Garg might well have run out of chances based on his potential but lack of depth in terms of the Indian batting talents will force the Sunrisers to carry on with him while Abdul Samad will be persisted with for his ability to hit lusty shots at the end of the innings along with useful leg-spin that may come handy on a slower pitch in Dubai. Mohammad Nabi might just be the player that can bring balance into the Sunrisers playing Xi with his all-round ability but it will be a tough call for David Warner and Trevor Bayliss to pick him in place of either Jonny Bairstow and Jason Holder. Expected XI David Warner (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Priyam Garg, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan Delhi Capitals The team had dropped Prithvi Shaw in the last game due to his poor run of form and identical ways of getting out that have exposed his perennial weakness against raw pace and bowlers who can extract bounce from a length. However, Ajinkya Rahane has not been able to capitalise on the chance she has been presented with due to Rishabh Pant’s injury and now Shaw’s lack of form and that leaves the team in a bit of catch-22 situation. Looking at the way Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer have gone about so far in the IPL this year, the Capitals are likely to field an unchanged XI. Expected XI Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Tushar Deshpande, Anrich Nortje Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Capitals: Dream 11 team and suggestion Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Shikhar Dhawan, Manish Pandey, David Warner, Vijay Shankar, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Rashid Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma Captain: Shreyas Iyer Vice-captain: Shikhar Dhawan