IPL 2019 – Match 48: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kings XI Punjab – KXIP Predicted Playing XI

The Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) have started off the IPL 2019 well with three wins in their first five games. But just like they did last year, they fell apart as the tournament has progressed forward. In the next six matches, they managed to win only two and hence put their case in the doldrums. The side has got three games left in the tournament and they need to win at least two of those to qualify for the playoffs.

They will be up against their biggest competitors for the fourth spot, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their next encounter. A victory here is critical for both these sides and it won’t be easy for KXIP playing away from home. Looking at their performance in the last match, KXIP might shuffle around a bit with their playing eleven for the upcoming encounter.

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

Openers (Chris Gayle, KL Rahul)

Chris Gayle got the Kings XI Punjab off to a flyer in the game against RCB. He scored 23 runs in just 10 balls and set the tone for the chase. However, it is important for him to get a bigger score even though he scores at a slightly slower pace. The Jamaican has been in amazing form this tournament and is one of the best batsmen for his team. Till now, he has scored 444 runs in 10 matches and will be critical in the next game as well.

KL Rahul isn’t far behind either. The right-hander has been one of the most prolific run scorers for KXIP and has got 441 runs in 11 matches. However, the failures of the middle order have pushed him into a shell. He is trying to play slow knocks but hasn’t been able to stay until the end. Rahul played a slightly different knock in the last match and scored 42 runs from just 27 balls.

Middle Order (Mayank Agarwal, David Miller, Mandeep Singh, Nicholas Pooran (wk))

One would get extremely angry and frustrated watching Mayank Agarwal bat this season. The Karnataka batsman is in great form and has been getting off to starts more often than not. He scored 35 runs from 21 balls in the last game as well. But the way he’s throwing his wicket away is depressing. He is one of the best batsmen in the middle order and needs to be more sensible with the way he plays.

In case Moises Henriques is not fit, David Miller will continue in the eleven. South African’s knock in the last game potentially cost his team the game. He could only score 24 runs from 25 balls. While Mandeep Singh didn’t have much to do in the last match, Nicholas Pooran played a blinder. His 28-ball 46 brought some hope back to the KXIP camp but his efforts ultimately fell short.

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All Rounders (Sam Curran)

KXIP might bring back in Sam Curran for this upcoming game. Like it was evident, the team was short of a batsman down the order against RCB. Also, Hardus Viljoen didn’t perform really well in the last match. The Proteas pacer conceded 51 runs in his four overs. Hence, given the kind of balance that he adds to the team, Sam Curran makes a very good case to be picked.

Bowlers (Ravichandran Ashwin (c), Murugan Ashwin, Ankit Rajpoot, Mohammed Shami)

Ravichandran Ashwin has been one of the best bowlers for KXIP this season. He is mixing his variations up beautifully and is putting a lot of questions in the minds of the batsmen. The last match, when all the pacers conceded over 11 runs an over, the off-spinner only gave away 15 runs and also picked up one wicket. Along with him, Murugan was been impressive as well.

The leg-spinner was slightly more expensive conceding 32 in his four overs. But these numbers looked very good given the context of the game. Punjab might have missed a trick for not having the third spinner against RCB. Even though Ankit Rajpoot and Mohammed Shami were very expensive in the last match, the conditions in Hyderabad are much different and they might look to put up a better show.

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