The Kings XI Punjab are all set to take on the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on a Saturday afternoon. Expect it to be a contest of high volume as its the battle between the best in the business from Rahul Tripathi to Kl Rahul it’s going to be a crazy afternoon as the Rahuls go up against each other.
Talking about the points table, Kings XI Punjab are lying last in the points table despite having one of the best teams on paper this season. The inability of Kings XI Punjab players to consistently perform is hampering their progress this season. Only the likes of KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Nicholas Pooran have been doing the scoring as the million-dollar man Maxwell has let the entire KXIP community down.
On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders looked very rusty at the start of the season but have managed to sort their team combination well enough in the previous game. We witnessed Rahul Tripathi score runs and the Varun Chakravarthy pick wickets, which is why we expect the Kolkata Knight Riders side to put a great show against Kings XI Punjab at Dubai.
Let’s take a look at the 5 key players to watch out for when Kings Xi Punjab lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders:
1. KL Rahul
The Kings XI Punjab skipper has looked in incredible touch this season with the bat but as far as his side is concerned they have been outrageous. Though Rahul is doing everything he can with the bat, his side has constantly let him down this season. He along with Mayank Agarwal have been phenomenal this season as both have notched up centuries this season.
We all know what KL Rahul is capable of which is why he’s one player to watch for in the match against Kolkata Knight Riders.
2. Rahul Tripathi
The Punekar Rahul has been another sensational in this Indian Premier League, previously played for the Rising Pune Super Giant in the 2017 season and put up a tremendous show with the bat playing under the watchful eyes of MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming.
In this season’s player auctions he was picked up by the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise, where he played as low as 6 down in the match against Delhi Capitals but then was promoted as an opener against CSK where he notched up 81 runs to his name. With the kind of form, Rahul Tripathi is in we expect him to hit even bigger against Kings XI Punjab on Saturday.
3. Nicholas Pooran
The man from the Caribbean looks in sublime touch this season as he hit three 100 meter sixes the other day in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. There were talks that the universe boss should be picked ahead of the young Pooran but he’s proven all of them wrong with the sublime hitting he has been doing this season.
Pooran is undoubtedly the best batsmen in the Kings Xi Punjab side after KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal as its very evident with the performances he’s putting up this season.
4. Shubman Gill
The young gun Shubman Gill has been firing all shots this season with his bat as he’s the highest run-scorer for the Kolkata Knight Riders side this season. After trusting him to open alongside Sunil Narine this season, Shubman Gill has proved his mantle with what he’s capable of.
The youngster has shown us his sheer capability of scoring runs on a consistent basis this season. With his new batting partner Rahul Tripathi looking in great touch, let’s just expect a stellar partnership from the young duo playing for KKR this season.
5. Shivam Mavi
Another year another young fast bowler flourishing in the Indian Premier League, well Shivam Mavi is another player who we should watch out for as this pacer is just showing why Kolkata Knight Riders stuck with him for two years. He has played all the five matches for Kolkata this season and has managed to pick up a wicket in each game.
With Shivam Mavi looking in superb touch, let’s expect this youngster to contribute with the ball going ahead in this season.
Also Read: IPL 2020: 5 Unknown Facts About Shivam Mavi