IPL 2019 – Match 22: Kings XI Punjab vs Sunrisers Hyderabad – KXIP Predicted Playing XI

The Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) have played five games and won three thus far. They had an opportunity to make it a hat-trick of wins in Chennai but failed to do so. Despite having wickets in hand, they lacked the firepower and lost the match by 22 runs. They now head back to their home for their next encounter.

KXIP will host the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the IS Bindra Stadium on Monday. Even the ‘Men in Orange’ are coming into this game after an embarrassing loss and look very vulnerable. The focus for the home team will be to dismiss David Warner and Jonny Bairstow early and then test the opposition’s middle-order.

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

Openers (KL Rahul (wk), Chris Gayle)

KL Rahul played a good knock in the last match. He looked to take the innings deep and scored 55 runs off 47 balls. However, he was unfortunate not to have taken his team over the line but that innings should give him a lot of confidence heading into the home game. Rahul has got a good record playing in Mohali and will have the responsibility to bat for a majority of the 20 overs.

Chris Gayle made a comeback into the eleven in the last match but failed to make an impact. He fell in the trap of Harbhajan Singh yet again. The left-hander has got a threat from bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Nabi in the next game as well. But he has got to play watchful cricket initially and target the relatively weaker bowlers later on.

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

Mayank Agarwal has suffered back-to-back failures in the last two games. The right-hander should look to play more responsible cricket and not just throw his wicket away. He has to shoulder the responsibility of the middle-order and play all the way till the last over. He has been hitting the ball well and should make the most of his good form.

Sarfaraz Khan is another player who has evolved into an important part of KXIP set-up. He is playing sensible knocks and doing extremely well for his team. Khan should continue from exactly where he left in the last match. David Miller and Mandeep Singh will complete the middle-order and will be the finishers for the team.

All Rounders (Sam Curran)

Sam Curran will continue to feature in the eleven for KXIP. He conceded 35 runs in the last game but is the bridge between the batsmen and the bowlers in this KXIP line-up. Curran does a fair job with the bat as well and it was here in Mohali when he picked a hat-trick in the last game.

Bowlers (Ravichandran Ashwin (c), Andrew Tye, Murugan Ashwin, Ankit Rajpoot)

Ravichandran Ashwin is doing a fair job for his team with the ball. But he needs to rethink his captaincy strategies. The off-spinner has been chopping and changing the eleven too often and isn’t using his bowlers to their strengths. Ashwin has got to back his players and maintain consistency. Andrew Tye is expected to continue in the eleven.

He isn’t in the best of forms but can catch up soon as he bowls more. KXIP needs to give him ample chances. There is nothing wrong with the way Murugan Ashwin is bowling and should continue in the eleven. Ankit Rajpoot might replace Mohammed Shami who seems slightly out of sorts at the moment.

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