Kings XI Punjab will be back in action on Sunday, October 18 at the Dubai International Stadium where they will take on the reigning champions of the Dream11 Indian Premier League- Mumbai Indians. Both sides head into this game on the back of morale-boosting wins and will be looking to build some momentum with matches coming thick and fast. 

Aamne Saamne

Mumbai Indians have a better head-to-head record against KXIP, and have already beaten the Shers this season in the IPL. Rohit Sharma’s side however have managed to do the double only once over KXIP in the past five years, with the spoils being shared in four of those five seasons. Therefore, Kings XI Punjab would be very optimistic for a better second game against Mumbai Indians. 

Batting de Baadshah

Quinton de Kock is the current leading run scorer for Mumbai Indians, with 269 runs after eight games. The southpaw got a match-winning fifty in the last game, and has been looking in good knick. Alongside de Kock, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Kieron Pollard have all looked strong so far, making MI’s batting a formidable force. 

For KXIP, captain KL Rahul continues to hold on to the Orange Cap. He got another match-winning fifty against RCB, making it four fifties and a century for IPL 2020. With Chris Gayle and Mayank Agarwal also looking in good form, KXIP’s top-order look very strong heading into this game against Mumbai. 

Bowling de Kings

For Mumbai Indians, both Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult are tied on 12 wickets, but the former has a better average and economy rate. The Indian pacer has been a mainstay of Mumbai Indians since the last couple of seasons, and has made a good start to IPL 2020 as well. 

Mohammed Shami continued his fine form for Kings XI Punjab, getting the wickets of both Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers in the game against RCB. With KXIP’s death bowling improving Anil Kumble would be hopeful for another good showing from his ace speedster Shami. 

Mudde di Baat

Both sides find themselves on different sides of the table after eight games, with Mumbai Indians towards the top and KXIP currently rock bottom. KL Rahul’s side have a lot more riding on this game, as they need to win five out of the last six at least to stand a chance of making it to the playoffs. For Mumbai, a win here would almost guarantee them a place in the playoffs. 

Yaad Rakhiyo

• Murugan Ashwin has the best bowling average and strike rate for a bowler in IPL 2020 (min 50 balls bowled).
• KL Rahul averages 58.62 for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL. 
• Chris Gayle has 40 sixes in the IPL against Mumbai Indians- the most by any player against that franchise. 

Probable XI

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

Being on the winning side last time around, Kings XI Punjab wouldn’t wish to make too many changes to their team. The only change however could be giving Ishan Porel a game instead of Arshdeep Singh, as suggested by KL Rahul earlier.

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.