IPL 2018, RR vs KXIP: Kings XI Punjab probable playing XI to take on Rajasthan Royals
The Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals will take on each other for the second time in three days as the two sides gear up to face each at the Sawai Mansingh stadium in Jaipur on May 8.
The Kings XI came out victorious the last time the two sides met, which was just two days ago at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. Chasing 153 for victory, KL Rahul guided his side to a victory with an unbeaten knock of 84 in just 54 deliveries. This win spurred KXIP to third on the IPL standings, with a game in hand when compared to the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings, who occupy the first two positions on the table respectively.
Let's take a look at KXIP's predicted playing XI for the match:
KL Rahul has been KXIP's best batsman in the tournament so far. He has scored three half-centuries, which even included the fastest half-century in IPL history in their first match of the tournament. He will be vital to KXIP throughout the tournament and will look to give KXIP a good start in all their remaining matches.
Chris Gayle did not play for the first three matches of the tournament but made an instant impact with three fifty plus scores in a row, which included a scintillating century against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. He is looking at his vintage best and will look to guide KXIP to their first ever title.
Mayank Agarwal has been in poor form throughout the tournament. He has been striking the ball well and has looked confident but has failed to get going. He will need to step up in order to cement his place in the side.
Karun Nair has got off to good starts in all his matches but was able to convert that into a big score just once, in their first match of the season. He will look to stay at the crease for a longer period of time in the upcoming matches and provide stability in the middle order.
Marcus Stoinis has played just two matches so far and has made an enormous impact with the bat lower down the order. His hard-hitting has helped KXIP towards the end of the innings and he will look to continue to play the role of the finisher.
Manoj Tiwary has also played just two games so far, out of which he had no contribution in the match against the Royals. He will hope to get some runs under his belt and pick up a few wickets in the remaining matches.
Axar Patel was the only player who was retained by KXIP at the beginning of the season. However, he has not featured in all their matches. He was quite successful with the ball in the previous game and will look to showcase his all-round ability in the upcoming matches.
Ravichandran Ashwin has been extremely successful, both as a bowler and as a captain. His captaincy tactics have been lauded by pundits all over the world. He will look to guide KXIP to their first ever title in IPL history.
Andrew Tye has probably not been as successful as one would have imagined but he has been able to do the job on a few occasions. He is vital to the side at the death and will hope to improve upon his economy rate in particular.
Ankit Rajpoot's five-wicket haul against the Sunrisers was the best figures by an uncapped bowler in the IPL. He has been extremely effective apart from the previous match where he gave away quite a few runs.
Mujeeb ur Rahman has been one of the finds of the tournament. He is the youngest player to play in the IPL this year and is KXIP's leading wicket-taker. He will look to continue his excellent run of form and pick up the Emerging Player of the Tournament award.
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