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The second match on a double-header Sunday in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 pits the Kings XI Punjab against three-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
It hasn't gone according to plan for CSK from the very beginning this season. Although they did overcome the loss of Suresh Raina in their first game against Mumbai Indians, they have lost three consecutive games since then and are placed near the bottom of the IPL points table.
Apart from Ambati Rayudu and Faf du Plessis, none of the CSK batsmen have oozed confidence, with Shane Watson's form being a huge cause for concern. As for the bowling unit, the spinners haven't been up to the mark in this competition with Imran Tahir's absence being felt dearly in the middle overs.
CSK will not have it any easier against a wounded Kings XI Punjab side, who were completely outplayed by Mumbai Indians earlier in the week. Although they have only two points so far, it could have easily been six if things had worked out in their favour.
KXIP have a balanced unit in place, with KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal running riot at the top of the order. However, they will need the likes of Nicholas Pooran and Glenn Maxwell to come up with the goods in the back end of the innings. Although death bowling has also been a concern for KXIP, they will fancy their chances against an out-of-form CSK on Sunday.
KXIP wouldn't be too happy with their head-to-head record, which reads 13-9 in CSK's favour. But their stunning win in last year's clash in Mohali should give them much-needed confidence against MS Dhoni and co.
With both sides looking to climb up the points table as soon as possible, we should be in for a thrilling encounter in Dubai to close out what promises to be an entertaining double-header Sunday.
Click here for Live Cricket Score & Ball by Ball Commentary
Squads to choose from
Kings XI Punjab
KL Rahul (C), Karun Nair, Mohammed Shami, Nicholas Pooran, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Chris Gayle, Mandeep Singh, Mayank Agarwal, Hardus Viljoen, Darshan Nalkande, Sarfaraz Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Murugan Ashwin, K Gowtham, J Suchith, Glenn Maxwell, Sheldon Cottrell, Deepak Hooda, Ishan Porel, Ravi Bishnoi, James Neesham, Chris Jordan, Tajinder Dhillon, Prabhsimran Singh, Agnivesh Ayachi, Harpreet Brar, Murugan Ashwin
Chennai Super Kings
MS Dhoni (C), Murali Vijay, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo, Sam Curran, Mitchell Santner, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Piyush Chawla, Monu Kumar, N Jagadeesan, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Imran Tahir, Karn Sharma, R Sai Kishore, Lungi Ngidi and Josh Hazlewood
Predicted Playing 11
Kings XI Punjab
KL Rahul (C&WK), Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Glenn Maxwell, Nicholas Pooran, James Neesham, Sarfaraz Khan, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami and Sheldon Cottrell
Chennai Super Kings
Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (C&WK), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Piyush Chawla and Shardul Thakur
Match Details
Match: Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings, Match 18
Date: 4th October 2020, at 7:30 PM IST
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
Pitch Report
The pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium has been a good one to bat on, with scores of over 170 being scored in the past few games. However, there is enough on offer for the bowlers, and this has kept the batsmen on their toes in the first half of the innings.
The spinners might find it a touch difficult with the shorter square boundaries, although the likes of Washington Sundar and Rashid Khan have enjoyed some success at this venue.
Wickets in hand will be the key for both sides, with there being value for proper cricketing shots as well. With dew coming into play, both sides might be lured into chasing although the record is heavily skewed against teams that have chased in IPL 2020.
KXIP vs CSK IPL Dream11 Fantasy Suggestions
Fantasy Suggestion #1: KL Rahul, MS Dhoni, Nicholas Pooran, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, Sam Curran, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Shami, Deepak Chahar and Ravi Bishnoi
Captain: KL Rahul, Vice-Captain: Sam Curran
Fantasy Suggestion #2: KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Piyush Chawla and Ravi Bishnoi
Captain: Sam Curran, Vice-Captain: Nicholas Pooran
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