Two teams who’ve already registered a 200+ score on the board in the initial stage of the tournament are set to battle it out against each other in hopefully a thrilling encounter tonight!
KL Rahul made a record 132* being the highest individual Indian scorer in IPL as well as it being the highest individual score by a captain in IPL. But, can he start afresh tonight and get going yet again? Or would the two leggies of RR be able to keep him quiet?
With Jos Buttler’s availability, David Miller, who unfortunately got runout without even facing a delivery, would have to make way for him. Sanju Samson and Steve Smith showed everyone that RR’s batting should not be taken lightly and that they can also put up a huge total against tougher oppositions. But can they get going in every game and possess that threat against the most dangerous looking bowling unit?
Undoubtedly the Kings XI’s bowlers have been the most destructive in this year’s IPL till now, with Shami bowling with fiery pace and perfect accuracy, Cottrell making complete use of the early swing in the powerplay overs, and the spin twins Ashwin and Bishnoi using their variations to the advantage. On the other hand, this is the same wicket where RR scored a 215 against the Super Kings, and they surely are more familiar with the conditions hereon.
In the 2014 edition, the Kings XI won both their games in Sharjah with Maxwell scoring fifties in both games. Though he is currently out of touch with the bat as seen in the previous two games, he could well and truly come back into action on this ground and have a blistering knock!
The question still is WHERE IS THE UNIVERSE BOSS? On these smaller grounds of Sharjah and against a team that do not possess an off-spin threat, Chris Gayle is quite likely to make way into the side in place of Pooran who hasn’t been able to do much in the first two games.
Probable XIs and why –
KXIP – KL Rahul(C)(Wk), Mayank Aggarwal, Chris Gayle/Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, Jimmy Neesham, Murugan Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Sheldon Cottrell
After a comprehensive one sided victory against the Challengers, they’d like to stick to the same combination going into the battle tomorrow. But, the only change that is possible is Chris Gayle coming in for Nicholas Pooran.
RR – Jos Buttler(Wk), Yashaswai Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Steve Smith(C), Robin Uthappa, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Tom Curran, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat
It should be a straight swap between Buttler and Miller which means that Smith, who proved to be a great opener the other night, would have to go back to his original No.4 spot, having Jaiswal and Buttler as their opening pair.
Pitch Report –
The smallest ground amongst the three venues, expect a high scoring contest yet again with both teams possessing a great batting lineup. Bowlers could take wickets only if the batsmen mistime the shots or as wickets slow down. Looking at how the first game on this venue went, it should be a batsman’s delight.
Safe C/VC choices –
Buttler, Rahul, Samson, Smith, Shami
Risky C/VC choices –
Maxwell, Mayank, Jofra
Analysis of various cricket matches 