Photo: SportzPics

A fascinating mid-table battle awaits us on Saturday evening in the 2020 Dream11 Indian Premier League as Kings XI Punjab gear up to take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the ‘Ring of Fire’- the Dubai International Stadium. Both sides head into this game on the back of comprehensive wins against Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals respectively, and will be looking to get another victory under their belt to augment their chances of making the playoffs. 

Aamne Saamne

Sunrisers Hyderabad have a significantly better head-to-head record and emerged victorious in the previous game between the two sides as well. However, KXIP are the team that are in better form, heading into this game after wins against Delhi, Mumbai and RCB while Sunrisers Hyderabad have just one win in four games. Therefore, this time around one can expect a much closer encounter when KXIP face SRH, with both sides vying for a playoffs spot. 

Batting de Baadshah

KL Rahul continues to hold on to that Orange Cap, with five fifties and a ton so far in IPL 2020. The Kings XI Punjab skipper had a rare failure in his previous game against Delhi Capitals and will be looking to make amends this time around against Sunrisers. 

For SRH, skipper David Warner has been their leading run-getter so far in the 2020 IPL season. The southpaw batsman has a great record against Kings XI Punjab in particular, with seven consecutive fifties against the franchise. However, Warner has been struggling for form of late with two lean scores in the past two games, and would be hoping to make amends soon. 

Bowling de Kings

Mohammed Shami continued his fine showing with the white ball, picking up two crucial wickets in the game against Delhi Capitals. The fast bowler seems to have perfected his death bowling in the second-half of the competition, nailing them more often than not. Shami has been lethal with the new ball as well, especially when the pitch offers some late swing and unpredictable bounce. 

For SRH, Rashid Khan has arguably been the best player this season in the IPL, as he’s been the guy to change things around in those middle-overs which got his side over the line. The Afghani leg spinner has 12 wickets so far in the competition, and has managed an exceptional economy rate of below six an over for the season. Rashid was the game changer when these two sides met a couple of weeks back in the IPL, and Sunrisers Hyderabad fans would hope that he does so yet again on Saturday. 

Mudde di Baat

With the league stages of IPL 2020 in its final stretches, this game between Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad is crucial for their respective races for the playoffs. While the losing side may not necessarily be ruled out of the playoffs race, the winning team will get a massive advantage to finish amongst the top four, especially with Kolkata Knight Riders (who are currently fourth on the table) playing the afternoon game. 

The game is arguably more important for SRH given that they have to face their in-form sides in their final three games of the competition, but nevertheless Kings XI Punjab wouldn’t want to lose this too. 

Yaad Rakhiyo

• Nicholas Pooran currently holds the record for most sixes in IPL 2020.
• Chris Gayle holds the record for the most sixes by a batsman against Sunrisers Hyderabad- 31. 
• Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul have two 100+ opening partnerships already this season in the IPL. 

Probable XI

KL Rahul (c and wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Deepak Hooda, Chris Jordan, Ravi Bishnoi, Murugan Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh. 

Kings XI Punjab wouldn’t wish to make too many changes to their winning combination. However, one can expect Chris Jordan to make a comeback following that shoulder niggle, given his death bowling prowess. Apart from that, it would be unlikely that KXIP make any more changes. 

NOTE: The aforementioned line-up is an educated guess at best, and the final decision rests with the captain and the team management depending on various external factors.