IPL 2018, KXIP vs MI: 6 players to watch out for

Kings XI Punjab will be up against Mumbai Indians tonight at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore for the 34th match of the tournament.

Rooted to the bottom of the table with only two wins from eight games, MI find themselves in a position where they can't afford to lose a single match if they are aiming for a playoff berth. On the other hand, KXIP are currently placed at no. 4 having won 5 out of 7 matches. Having lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last outing, they would be eager to get back to winning ways.

Let us have a look at 6 players who can impact the game:

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# 1 Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle smashed the first century of this IPL

Chris Gayle has been in sublime form this season. In this IPL, Gayle has aggregated 252 runs from just 4 matches at an unbelievable average of 126.0 and a healthy strike rate of 161.53. His crucial partnerships with KL Rahul at the top have been the main reasons behind Punjab's brilliant performances this year.

#2 KL Rahul

Rahul has impressed one and all with his batting performance this season

Another ex-RCB player, Rahul is doing wonders for his new team Kings XI Punjab. Having started off with the fastest IPL half-century in the very first match, Rahul has not looked back since then. He, along with Chris Gayle, has provided solid starts to his team. He has 260 runs with a strike rate of 170.7 so far this year.

#3 Ankit Rajpoot

Ankit took 5 wickets in the last match

Not many of us would have heard much about him prior to this IPL but he has impressed everyone with his brilliant bowling. His bowling figures of 5/14 against SRH in the last match are the best by an uncapped Indian player. Overall, he has taken 7 wickets in 3 matches so far with an impressive average of 9.85.

#4 Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma

Mumbai Indians would be worried about their captain's inconsistency heading into this important encounter. Out of the 196 runs scored by him so far, 150 runs came from only two innings (94 against RCB & 56* against CSK).

He has been dismissed for a duck twice in 8 innings.

MI would be hoping for an excellent knock from the skipper in this important clash.

#5 Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya was one of the three players retained by Mumbai Indians ahead of this IPL. The team management showed faith in the fierce-hitter, however, he has not been able to repay that faith.

He has been decent with the ball, taking 11 wickets from 7 matches but has completely failed on the batting front. 111 runs from 7 matches with a strike rate of just above 110 is not something we expect from a player with such talent.

#6 Mitchell McClenaghan

Mitchell McClenaghan

He has been an integral part of Mumbai's bowling unit for the last few years. He played a significant role in Mumbai winning the title back in 2015. He has the responsibility to provide crucial breakthroughs for his team and he is doing his job nicely. He has taken 9 wickets so far in 6 matches.

Once again, MI would be relying on the Kiwi pacer to spearhead the attack.

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