Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey

IPL 2020 Match 31: RCB vs KXIP Preview Dream11 Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | RCB vs KXIP Dream11 Prediction Today | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kings XI Punjab Key Players | Sharjah Pitch Report

September 24, 2020. KL Rahul smashes the highest score by an Indian in IPL (132), and outscores the entire opposition (109). Could such a performance be the catalyst for a better season for the underperforming franchise?

No. The fortunes of Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore have gone in completely opposite directions since that night in Dubai. KL Rahul’s KXIP have been unable to win any of their next five matches, with Rahul himself the subject of criticism regarding his strike rates, which he labelled “overrated”. On the other hand, Virat Kohli’s RCB have won four matches out of five, with their latest being one of their most impressive bowling performances in recent memory.

KXIP’s 2020 season is opposite to each of their last two campaigns, where they had a great first half only to fade away badly at the backend. So, will the second-half of the season bring greater joy for Kings XI this time? For that to happen, KXIP must handle themselves better in pressure situations, as they have thrown away three victories so far this season; their latest being an inexplicable defeat to KKR when victory looked certain. It is must-win territory for KL Rahul’s men, and the task isn’t easy as they run into the in-form genius that is Virat Kohli and “superhuman” AB de Villiers.

RCB are playing superb cricket, which has rightly given their fans belief that this could finally be their year. Washington Sundar’s economy rate is mind-blowing, and his partnership with the classy Yuzvendra Chahal provides a platform for the seamers to do their thing. And, that key seamer, Chris Morris, has had a magnificent start to life with RCB, taking 3/19 and 2/17 in his first two matches. So, can RCB do to KXIP what they did to KKR on this ground a few nights ago?

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

• It looks likely that Chris Gayle will face his former franchise. Gayle has a fine record vs RCB (5 inns, 214 runs, avg. 53.50, SR 152.86), but will have to contend with what is a much-improved RCB attack this time around.
• Eyes will be on KL Rahul. Will he drop to number three to accomodate Gayle? Will he play with greater freedom? He played with freedom against RCB earlier this season, smashing 132* off 69 balls. But, Morris and Udana have since replaced the expensive Dale Steyn and Umesh Yadav, so the challenge is there for Rahul to perform.
• RCB captain Virat Kohli labelled AB de Villiers a “superhuman” after ABD’s 73* off 33 balls on a slow Sharjah pitch vs KKR. KXIP better watch out, as ABD has an excellent record against them (18 inns, 690 runs, avg. 57.50, SR 165.47).
• Kohli himself has been in excellent touch, with just one dismissal in his past four games (72*, 43, 90* and 33*). He averages 28.77 in 24 innings vs KXIP, which is an area for improvement, but Kohli’s looking in good touch.
• Mayank Agarwal has been superb in IPL 2020. Agarwal is second behind Rahul in the IPL 2020 Orange Cap race, with 337 runs at an average of 48.14. However, it is his strike rate of 158.96 that is most impressive.
• Agarwal smashed a century in his match at Sharjah earlier in IPL 2020 (vs Royals).
• Can Devdutt Padikkal (243 runs, avg. 34.71 in IPL 2020) and Aaron Finch (171 runs, avg. 24.42) handle Mohammed Shami’s threat in the powerplay? Shami has 10 wickets in seven games so far in IPL 2020.
• Nicholas Pooran’s 212 runs in IPL 2020 have come at a strike rate of 176.66. Key player.
• How good has Washington Sundar been? He has conceded runs at just 4.90 per over in a total of 22 overs so far in IPL 2020, with four wickets in his past two matches (2/16 and 2/20). He could be crucial against the left-handed Gayle up front.
• Chris Morris has been a great addition to the RCB attack. The South African pacer has taken five wickets in his first two games, going at just 4.50 an over. Also, Morris has 13 wickets in 10 games vs KXIP.
• The genius that is Yuzvendra Chahal has the most wickets in RCB-KXIP matches (20 in 13 games). Also, Chahal has 10 wickets in seven games in IPL 2020, and will be a threat on the slowish Sharjah track.
• Watch out for the impressive Ravi Bishnoi. The leg-spinner has taken eight wickets in seven games in 2020, including 3/32 vs RCB earlier this season.

Stats and Facts

• Head-to-head: Matches 25, RCB 12, KXIP 13.
  RCB’s two defeats in IPL 2020 have been heavy ones when chasing big scores (loss by 97 runs chasing 207 vs KXIP and loss by 59 runs chasing 197 vs DC). So, KXIP’s best hope looks to be batting first and getting a handy score on the board.
• Navdeep Saini to be saved for Nicholas Pooran? Saini has dismissed Pooran three times in 23 balls, conceding just 21 runs in the process.
• Yuzvendra Chahal needs two scalps to get to 200 wickets in T20s.
• Washington Sundar’s economy rate of 4.90 is the best out of any bowler who has bowled a minimum of 10 overs in IPL 2020. What makes this stat all the more extraordinary is that Sundar bowls predominantly in the powerplay overs.

Possible Playing 11

RCB are looking settled, which has been a key part of their recent success. Expect them to stick with the same combination.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1. Aaron Finch, 2. Devdutt Padikkal, 3. Virat Kohli (c), 4. AB de Villiers (wk), 5. Shivam Dube, 6. Washington Sundar, 7. Chris Morris, 8. Isuru Udana, 9. Mohammad Siraj, 10. Navdeep Saini, 11. Yuzvendra Chahal

KXIP, on the other hand, used the joint-most number of players in the first half of the season and still don’t look settled. Chris Gayle is set to play, so it means Glenn Maxwell could miss out. KXIP could look to bring in Jimmy Neesham for Mujeeb ur Rahman for the purpose of greater batting depth. Also, Sarfaraz Khan could come in should KXIP strive for extra middle-order stability, ahead of someone like Murugan Ashwin.

Kings XI Punjab: 1. Mayank Agarwal, 2. Chris Gayle, 3. KL Rahul (c), 4. Nicholas Pooran (wk), 5. Sarfaraz Khan, 6. Mandeep Singh, 7. Chris Jordan, 8. Mujeeb ur Rahman/James Neesham, 9. Ravi Bishnoi, 10. Mohammed Shami, 11. Arshdeep Singh

Sharjah Pitch and Weather Report

The Sharjah track isn’t quite the batting belter that was the case earlier in the tournament. In fact, in the last game on this ground between RCB and KKR, players other than AB de Villiers hit 218 runs at a strike rate of 105. de Villiers himself showed his incredible talent, with 73* at a strike rate of 221. So, while the boundaries may be small, batsmen will need to find their timing as quickly as possible.

Dew may be a factor, but batting first is a big advantage in IPL 2020. So, expect the captain who wins the toss to bat first.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Match Prediction

RCB start this match as clear favourites. The key for KXIP would be to make inroads into RCB’s top four (easier said than done), as RCB still rely quite a bit on their top order. However, RCB’s strong-performing bowling attack can hold them in good stead, and look good to get a win here.

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