The action of the 2020 Dream11 Indian Premier League turns to the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday, October 8 as Kings XI Punjab prepare for a game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Both sides find themselves on the wrong end of the table after five games, and will hope for a bounce back to get their seasons back on track in this crucial game of the IPL. 

Aamne Saamne

Sunrisers Hyderabad have the upper hand in the head-to-head record, but it was Kings XI Punjab who emerged victorious in the first meeting between these two sides in the 2019 season. KXIP also got a formidable 72 run win when the two franchises met in 2014 when the IPL was last played in the UAE, with Glenn Maxwell being named man of the match on that occasion. 

Batting de Baadshah 

David Warner has been a consistent performer over the past few seasons, and is currently the leading run getter for Sunrisers Hyderabad. The southpaw has one fifty so far which came in his previous game against Mumbai Indians, and the team will hope for Warner to continue his good form going forward in the competition. 

KL Rahul has held on to that Orange Cap for most part of the last week, and has looked in sublime touch with bat in hand. The KXIP skipper has two fifties and a century so far in the competition, and shows no signs of slowing down with some sensational strokeplay at the top of the innings. 

Bowling de Kings

Like he has in the past couple of seasons, leg spinner Rashid Khan has continued to shine for SRH in IPL 2020. Guaranteeing four economical overs with his thrifty leg spin, the Afghani bowler has also been among the wickets, and was instrumental in their win against Chennai Super Kings. He will continue to be the lynchpin for Sunrisers in the game against Kings XI Punjab, and it would be very interesting to see how KL Rahul and co. handle the leg spinner. 

Mohammed Shami has been a consistent performer for Kings XI Punjab from the very beginning this season, getting wickets more often than not in the powerplay. He has four wickets so far in three games at the Dubai International Stadium, and KXIP fans would be optimistic for that trend to continue. 

Mudde di Baat

Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad find themselves in 8th and 6th position respectively, and with the IPL group stages nearing the midway point, both teams would be hopeful for a turnaround in fortunes. For both franchises, it has been a case of a handful of players performing so far in the competition, and come Thursday, the team that can delivery a better all-round performance could emerge victorious. 

Yaad Rakhiyo

• Sunrisers Hyderabad have lost the most wickets in IPL 2020 in the death overs. 
• Mohammed Shami is just two wickets away from 50 wickets in the IPL.
• Nicholas Pooran has the best strike rate for a number four batsman in IPL 2020. 

Probable XI

KL Rahul (c and wk), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran, Mandeep Singh, Deepak Hooda, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Sheldon Cottrell, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Ishan Porel.

With the bigger boundaries in Dubai, KXIP could go spin heavy with Mujeeb ur Rahman getting his first game for IPL 2020. On the batting front, Glenn Maxwell could be on the way out to accommodate for the explosive Chris Gayle, with Deepak Hooda also slotting into the middle-order to give an extra bowling option to the team. 

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.