Match 9 of IPL 2020 will see Kings XI Punjab take on the Rajasthan Royals. Both sides are coming on the back of massive wins and will come into the contest shy high on confidence.
Kings XI Punjab courtesy of their skipper KL Rahul overwhelmed the Royal Challengers Bangalore. On the other hand the Royals to surprised everyone and registered a comfortable victory against Chennai Super Kings.
Ahead of the match between KXIP and RR, we bring you all the fantasy cricketing tips of the match.
Match Timings and Venue
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Timing: 7:30 PM IST
Head To Head
Matches Played 19
RR Won: 10
KXIP Won: 9
Weather Forecast
It is expected to be a typical Sharjah weather during the match, hot and humid with absolutely no chance of any rain.
Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals- Fantasy Tips
KL Rahul in the previous match played one of the all-time great knocks in the IPL. The onus will be again on him and his opening partner Mayank Agarwal when KXIP play against the Royals.
Also, considering the short boundary at Sharjah and wickets suiting stroke play, KXIP will be tempted to include Chris Gayle in their squad for the second. With two leggies in the opposition, the universe boss will fancy his chances to score a big one against Rajasthan Royals.
Nicholas Pooran and Glenn Maxwell will be hoping to find their top form as they in a matter of few overs change the entire complexion.
Then their bowling attack who were outstanding in their previous encounter will be hoping to provide wickets at regular intervals.
Fast bowlers Mohammad Shami and Sheldon Cottrell complement each other extremely well in the last match and they will be looking to replicate fine performances. Then the spin twins of KXIP, Ravi Bishnoi and Murgan Ashwin will too look spin a web around the batting line up of Rajasthan Royals.
Key Players KXIP: KL Rahul, Mayank Aggarwal, Ravi Bishnoi, Shami
Also Read: Jos Buttler Showers Praise On; Huge TalentYashasvi Jaiswal
A Jos Buttler return is on the cards and it will just make the Royals squad a lot stronger. But even if their star opener isn’t available they showed in the last match that they still can punch above their weights and come out victorious.
Skipper Steve Smith and Sanju Samson will again be their two main batsmen around which the entire batting of Royals will revolve. Samson took full advantage of the short boundaries at Sharjah and will again be seen to put the bowlers under pressure from the get-go.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag two talented youngsters in the royals squad missed out in the last match but in their next outing, they will be looking to enhance their reputation and contribute with match-winning performances.
Shreyas Gopal and Rahul Tewatia were outstanding in their last fixture and will be once again key for the Royals in the middle overs.
Jofra Archer was breath-taking for Royals in their inaugural match as he not only picked wickets but also hit crucial runs down the order. Archer is a potent force for RR, and Smith will look to unleash him again early against the opening pair of Rahul and Mayank.
Key Players RR: Samson, Smith, Gopal, Archer
Predicted XI
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Steve Smith (c), Sanju Samson(wk), Robin Uthappa, David Miller/Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Shreyas Gopal, Tom Curran, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Jaydev Unadkat.
Kings XI Punjab: Lokesh Rahul (wk/c), Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Nicholas Pooran/ Chris Gayle, Glenn Maxwell, Sarfaraz Khan, James Neesham, Mohammed Shami, Murugan Ashwin, Sheldon Cottrell, Ravi Bishnoi.
Read More: IPL 2020: Match 6, Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kings XI Punjab – 5 Talking Points
Fantasy Picks
Captain – KL Rahul ©, Sanju Samson
Vice-Captain – Mayank Agarwal, Steve Smith
Batters –Rahul (c), Mayank Agarwal (VC), Smith(VC), Sanju Samson (c )
All-Rounders – Maxwell, Tom Curran
Bowlers – Sami, Ravi Bishnoi, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal
Match Prediction
This looks like an even contest between the Royals and KXIP. The match will be played at Sharjah that means the side with the stronger batting performances will call the shots during the clash.
With KXIP’s batting having a little more firepower than RR, they look marginally ahead and will be favourites especially after the batting display we saw from them in the last match. Finally, KXIP to win and their spinner Ravi Bishnoi to be their game-changer during the match.
Also Read: Rajasthan Royals Comes Up With Hilarious Tweet After KL Rahul’s Brilliant Century
