IPL 2019 – Match 18: Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab – KXIP Predicted Playing XI

For the first time in the history of IPL, Ravi Ashwin will be playing in Chennai against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). For the first eight years of the league, the off-spinner was an integral part of the CSK set-up. But the mega-auction last year has seen him shift bases. He will be the leader of the Kings XI Punjab when he plays this game.

His side has fared well in the first four games of the tournament. They won three out of the four games thus far. Ashwin has been highly unpredictable with his captaincy and springs up with a surprise every time he walks out for the toss. For the upcoming game as well, he could make a few surprising calls.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP):

Openers (KL Rahul (wk), Sam Curran)

From the looks of things, KL Rahul doesn’t seem to be at his complete best as yet. Bowlers are trying hard to exploit his flaws and he is falling into their trap very often. After the match-winning knock against the Mumbai Indians, he was expected to carry on with the good form. However, he failed to do so in the last match. The conditions in Chennai will be very testing. Being the best batsman in the team, Rahul must perform in the next game.

Out of nowhere, Ravichandran Ashwin included Sam Curran in the eleven for the last game in place of Chris Gayle. The left-hander did extremely well and sealed his spot in the side. He picked up the first hattrick of the season and helped KXIP win the game miraculously against Delhi Capitals. Curran also provided the side with a very good start and is expected to score more runs in the upcoming game.

Middle Order (Mayank Agarwal, Sarfaraz Khan, David Miller, Mandeep Singh)

Mayank Agarwal suffered an unexpected failure in the last game. He was run out after Shikhar Dhawan inflicted a direct-hit onto the stumps. Agarwal is the most important batsman in the KXIP middle-order and has got the responsibility of holding the innings together as there isn’t much depth in the bowling.

Sarfaraz Khan, David Miller and Mandeep Singh will complete the KXIP middle-order. All these three batsmen are quite aggressive with their approach. They did well against the Capitals and seem to be in good form. Mandeep Singh will take up the role of the finisher in this side.

Bowlers (Hardus Viljoen, Ravichandran Ashwin, Varun Chakravarthy, Murugan Ashwin, Mohammed Shami)

The KXIP team has got a lot of options in their bowling department. Hardus Viljoen and Mohammed Shami will share the pace bowling duties. Andrew Tye might sit out for a little longer keeping the conditions in mind. KXIP will look to bring more spinners into their eleven as the Chennai track offers a lot of turn. Since it is an afternoon game, the dew won’t play a role and spinners will be able to grip the ball well.

Varun Chakravarthy could make a comeback into the eleven given his familiarity with the Chennai conditions. He is likely to replace Mujeeb Ur Rahman from the last game. Ravichandran Ashwin and Murugan Ashwin will be the other two spinners. Even both of them hail from Tamil Nadu and should know the conditions well. Thus, it’d be a great contest to watch when to operate in tandem.

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