Kings XI vs Knight Riders: Preview, head-to-head and Fantasy XI
What's the story
Kings XI Punjab will be welcoming an inconsistent Kolkata Knight Riders for match number 44 of the Indian Premier League 2018. Both teams lost their previous games and need to come out strong as the race for IPL playoffs intensifies. Altogether an interesting battle is expected today in Indore. Here is the pre-match report.
Battle
KKR lead in head-to-head record
Out of 22 matches, the sides have played against each other in IPL, KKR have won 14 games as against KXIP's 8. In the previous meeting in IPL 2018, KXIP walked away with two points in a rain-affected game in Kolkata. This is the first time these two sides will play in Indore. KKR have a 7-5 advantage away from home against KXIP.
Personal
Probable Playing XI - Kings XI Punjab
Chris Gayle, KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Karun Nair, Mayank Agarwal, Manoj Tiwary, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin (captain), Andrew Tye, Mohit Sharma and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Personal
Probable Playing XI - Kolkata Knight Riders
Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (captain and wicket-keeper), Andre Russell, Mitchell Johnson, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna.
Hot day
Heat waves to greet players in Indore
With temperatures soaring as high as 44 degrees, one can expect a lot of heat in this afternoon kick-off. Indore is battling heat waves at the moment and that is a concern as the players need to be hydrated throughout. The two games played in Indore this season saw scores of 175 and 153 chased down successfully. One can expect runs in that bracket.
Numbers game
Stat attack- KXIP vs KKR
Sunil Narine has picked 25 wickets in 14 matches against KXIP in IPL. It is the highest by any bowler against them. KXIP have been dependant on the openers throughout and their partnership average has been 50.70. KKR openers have struggled and their average is a lowly 17.00. Chris Gayle has 594 runs (1x100, 4x50) in 14 matches against KKR in IPL.
Fantasy XI
KL Rahul, Narine our choice as leaders- Fantasy XI
In-form KL Rahul gets the nod as skipper and Sunil Narine should go in as his deputy, according to us. Chris Gayle is a natural choice in the batting. Joining him would be Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Karun Nair and Manoj Tiwary. Marcus Stoinis will lend hand to Narine as the all-rounder. We are going in with 3 bowlers in Kuldeep, Piyush and Mujeeb.