It’s Sunday, the double-header day. In the second match, we get to watch Mumbai Indians take on the Kings XI Punjab at the Dubai International Stadium.
Looking at both sides, both teams come in polar fortunes, Mumbai Indians with mind-boggling five back-to-back wins, sitting right at the second spot of the points table. They have been astonishing this season, putting the opponents in pressure, finding ways to win, making it a habit. They’ve played out clinical performances with both bat and ball and won games deservingly.
And much unlike Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab have lost three games from winning positions. It’s an eccentric case for them as they have both openers at the top of the run-scoring table and yet find themselves, as a team, sitting right at the bottom of the table with four points, all against the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Kings XI Punjab has not necessarily played bad cricket for the last spot; they could’ve been comfortably sitting in the top half of the table, it’s just that they’ve not been able to close out games. A win for Mumbai could ensure them a spot in the playoffs while a loss for Punjab could seal their dreams of winning the cup this season.
We anticipate tonight, a highly intense show by batting heavy sides, this one’s going to be interesting. Now let’s take a look at the top 5 players to watch out for.
Also read: IPL 2020: Match 36- Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab- Fantasy Tips, Predicted XI, Top Fantasy Picks
Let’s take a look at the top 5 key players we should watch out for when Mumbai Indians lock horns with Kings XI Punjab:
1. Chris Gayle
The Kings XI Punjab could break their losing streak, against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and The Universe Boss made sure he took the opportunity to prove himself in that game. Gayle’s return is a big relief for Punjab.
Gayle played his first game for Kings XI Punjab in this edition of the Indian Premier League, at number three, because the team wouldn’t want to disturb the already set run-scoring openers. Gayle smashed 53 runs in 45 balls and was one of the match winners for his side.
2. Rohit Sharma
The Mumbai Indians skipper, Rohit “Hitman” Sharma, famous for his short-arm pulls off the front foot, is excited to unleash his power shots from the front for his team. This season, he hasn’t looked the best though, scoring 251 runs in 8 innings.
The last time he played in Dubai, he went without scoring many runs which became one of the reasons for their loss. He surely wants to undo that tonight and that makes him one of the main contenders for the players to watch out for.
3. KL Rahul
The ‘Klassy’ KL Rahul has been in tremendous form since the 2019 summer, consistent and unstoppable. Given the Captain’s responsibility for his side this year, he has taken it with grace and performs brave upfront.
Leading run-scorer for his Kings XI Punjab, and for this season entirely as well, with an average of 74.66 scoring 448 runs, standing right at top of the table for most runs, with 4 half-centuries and a massive 132(69) in just 8 innings, he expects you to know what he is capable of.
4. Trent Boult
The NZ pacer brings in the pace with Nathan Coulter-Nile and Indian Yorker specialist, Jasprit Bumrah, making Mumbai Indian’s pace bowling extremely strong.
He is the leading wicket-taker for Mumbai Indians and one of the strong Purple-Cap contenders for the tournament as well. Up till now, has 12 Wickets in 8 matches so far this tournament. He definitely is an exciting bowler to watch out for.
5. Mayank Agarwal
The Kings XI Punjab top-order batsman has been in some form this season. Just a few runs behind his captain placed second in the race for orange cap, Mayank Agarwal has been striking the ball very fluently and is a delight to watch when he performs.
With an extraordinary strike-rate of 161.18 for an opener, scoring a mammoth of 382 runs, he so far holds two half-centuries and century as well under his name in just eight innings. He single-handedly shifts away from the entire momentum from the opposition making him valuable and one to watch out for.