IPL 2020: Match 36, MI vs KXIP- KXIP Predicted Playing XI

The 36th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will see defending champions Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab locking horns with each other. KXIP were struggling hard to find their winning track but found some momentum after pulling off a heist against RCB in Sharjah.

Though KL Rahul’s Punjab grabbed victory in their last match by eight wickets, the match went on till the very last ball of the innings. The Universe Boss Chris Gayle played his first game in the ongoing edition and got all the fortunes for them.

In his very first match, he smashed 53 off 45 to get his team going smoothly. In their upcoming match, they will face Mumbai, who are sitting comfortably on the top half of the points table. Needless to say that KXIP will have to come up with their best setup to clinch victory.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for the Kings XI Punjab for MI vs KXIP game: 

Openers (Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul)

It would not be wrong to say that Punjab are blessed with the finest set of openers. KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal have come to the team’s rescue so many times, and their batting order remains very much dependent on them.

The fact that this pair is leading the individual run chart speaks much about them. In their last game too, Rahul and Mayank scored 61*and 45 respectively to give their team the desired result. They are much likely to open up next against Mumbai.

Middle-Order (Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, and Deepak Hooda)

The world was waiting for Universe Boss, Chris Gayle, to show up for his team and bring all the luck. There couldn’t have been a better entry in IPL 2020 than what he came up with as he smashed a sublime half-century in his first game. He is expected to shine with the team again.

Though Nicholas Pooran has always been able to get quick runs for his team, the courage he showed on the last ball of the last game was unmatchable. He smashed a thunderous six to take RCB over the winning line. He would again be expected to provide the middle-order strength.

Hooda is yet to get a chance with the bat in IPL 2020 after he played his first match against RCB itself. Though he doesn’t have anything worth boasting about in his IPL journey, he has the potential to shine for the team in their next contest.

All-rounder (Glenn Maxwell)

Though Glenn Maxwell’s form with the bat is under a lot of criticism, the team management is backing him with a lot of trust. Despite his continuous failures, he is showing up with the team owing to his reputation

The Victorian remained quite economical with the ball and might be picked by the team once again. There have been plenty of calls to drop Maxwell, who can win matches single-handedly on his days.

Bowlers (Chris Jordan, Mohammad Shami, Murugan Ashwin, Arshdeep Singh, and Ravi Bishnoi)

Chris Jordan played in the last match and showed some decent form. He remained economical and got one wicket too. The England pacer is expected to be chosen again by his team as KXIP would like to maintain a strong bowling unit.

Though Shami remained an expensive affair for his team in the last game, he generally bowls well. Even after being costly, he knocked out the two most important batsmen in the form of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. He is likely to lead the pace attack of his unit again.

Murugan Ashwin turned exceptional for his team in the last game and picked two wickets too during his spell. Ashwin would likely couple up with Ravi Bishnoi to level the spin section for Punjab. In the same line, young Arshdeep Singh might also be given a chance in the next contest as he knocked down the in-form Devdutt Padikkal early in his last game.

Young spin star Bishnoi wasn’t much impressive in his last match and had to go without a wicket, but his form so far has impressed many. He has picked eight wickets in as many matches and will lend his support to the team in all likelihood against Rohit Sharma and his men.