Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey
Just nine games to go until the playoffs. The business end of the tournament is upon us – who will be hot and who will not?
Could Kings XI Punjab, a team early in the tournament considered a threat for the IPL 2018 title, miss the playoffs altogether? Their reliance on KL Rahul and Chris Gayle at the moment mirrors RCB’s reliance on AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli. With just two wins in their last six games, KXIP can’t afford to totter anymore, as a number of teams are breathing down their necks aiming for a playoffs spot. Tonight’s game represents a vital one for them, in an attempt to arrest their slide.
Royal Challengers Bangalore kept their season alive with a win over now-eliminated DD, and I will provide no prizes for guessing who yet again guided them to victory, otherwise I’d be broke! AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli were superb in a pressure-filled situation, after RCB made an excellent start with the ball. However, their death bowling again left a little to be desired, and today, they need early wickets otherwise they could be facing a massive total.
Key to a Kings XI Punjab win
There are a couple of key factors that will determine whether KXIP have a successful evening. Despite KXIP scoring a huge total in the failed chasing against KKR, the opening pair of Chris Gayle and KL Rahul remains vital to their chances. Surprisingly, RCB have held their own pretty well in powerplay overs throughout IPL 2018, so the onus will be on these two to push RCB onto the back foot.
Also, the wickets of AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli are like gold. RCB have shown that if these two fail, they don’t win games, so there is no doubt that this is a key avenue to victory for KXIP.
Key to a Royal Challengers Bangalore win
AB de Villiers has especially been superb in RCB wins this season, and so too Virat Kohli. These two need to fire if RCB are to stay alive in the playoffs race.
To paint a picture, AB de Villiers’ scores in RCB wins in IPL 2018 reads: 57 (40), 90* (39) and 72* (37). Throughout the whole of the season, he and Kohli have scored 45.60% of RCB’s runs. It’s easy to realise that they need to shoulder the load again, but others such as Moeen Ali and Colin de Grandhomme need to fire, too.
Also, if RCB can get the wickets of KL Rahul and Chris Gayle relatively cheaply, they can target the uncertain KXIP middle order, and potentially have an excellent middle and death overs period with the ball. It is all to play for now, and RCB need to nail it with their execution.
Possible teams
KXIP managed 214/8 against KKR, with contributions right throughout the order, but the result was a forlorn conclusion pretty early in their chase. Their middle order remains a concern, so I expect to see some changes in an attempt to arrest their slide. Also, onus will be on the bowlers after conceding 245/6 against KKR on the same ground, just two days ago.
Kings XI Punjab XI: 1. KL Rahul (wk), 2. Chris Gayle, 3. Karun Nair, 4. Aaron Finch, 5. David Miller, 6. Manoj Tiwary, 7. Ravichandran Ashwin (c), 8. Axar Patel, 9. Mohit Sharma, 10. AJ Tye, 11. Ankit Rajpoot
After RCB’s successful trip to Delhi, expect them to stick with the same combination. Efficient bowling through all stages of the KXIP innings will be key, as well as greater contributions from players not named “Virat Kohli” or “AB de Villiers”.
Royal Challengers Bangalore XI: 1. Parthiv Patel (wk), 2. Moeen Ali, 3. Virat Kohli, 4. AB de Villiers, 5. Mandeep Singh, 6. Sarfraz Khan, 7. Colin de Grandhomme, 8. Tim Southee, 9. Mohammad Siraj, 10. Umesh Yadav, 11. Yuzvendra Chahal
Stats and Facts:
- Head-to-Head: Matches 21, KXIP 12, RCB 9
- The previous meeting between the two sides was in IPL 2018, where RCB won by four wickets, after bowling KXIP out for 155. Umesh Yadav was man of the match.
- KXIP have had 12 partnerships of 50 or more this season. KL Rahul has been involved in 10 of them.
- Seven out of eight IPL games at Indore have been won by the team chasing.
- KXIP concede 7.88 an over in the powerplay, and RCB 8.00. These teams are two of the best in this period.
Prediction
This result on hinges significantly on the battle between Gayle/Rahul and Kohli/de Villiers, which makes it difficult to predict. At Indore, KXIP could be considered favourites win, but I believe RCB are a big chance of winning this game, which should make it a really exciting one. Can’t wait to see how it pans out.
