The final game of the blockbuster Sunday will see two bottom-placed teams Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab lock horns at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Both teams will aim to secure a win and improve their place in the points table. We bring you the match prediction of today’s game from Dubai.
Both teams have had a similar fate so far in IPL 2020. Chennai Super Kings have looked completely out of socks with their team combinations gone completely wrong. The absence of Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh have had a massive impact on the performance of the side.
Chennai Super Kings will have to play out of their skins to return to the winning ways. Skipper MS Dhoni will have to own more responsibility and the lead the team from the front. The management will also want their top-order to fire after low returns from Shane Watson.
Chennai-Punjab lock horns for a crucial win
On the other hand, Kings XI Punjab have lost close games losing the plot in the dying moments. The batsmen have stood up to the task with openers Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul doing the bulk of the runs. However, they will be concerned with Glenn Maxwell’s form who is yet to hit the strides.
On the bowling front, the likes of Mohammed Shami and Sheldon Cottrell have done exceedingly well with the new ball. But their demons have come out in the death, shelling out more than 10 runs an over. Kings XI Punjab might be prompted to play Mujeeb-ur-Rahman in place of Glenn Maxwell , who has struggled to fire so far in IPL 2020.
IPL 2020: Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings on October 4 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium from 7:30 PM IST
Pitch Conditions
The teams batting first have continued to win the games in Dubai International Cricket Stadium and the trend is likely to continue. Strangely, the skippers have preferred to chase in the venue and it will be interesting to see their strategy in this encounter.
Predicted Playing XI
Kings XI Punjab: KL Rahul (c/wk), Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, Chris Jordan, M Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Sheldon Cottrell, Mohammed Shami
Chennai Super Kings: Faf du Plessis, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (c/wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Piyush Chawla
Also Read: IPL 2020: Match 18- Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab-Match Preview
Match Prediction – Who will win the match?
Chennai Super Kings have a slight advantage over the Kings XI Punjab over head to head encounters leading to this game. They have won 12 in comparisons to nine by the KL Rahul-led side. However, considering their recent performances, Punjab will start as the favourites to go up in the points table.
