The Dubai International Cricket Stadium will host the sixth game of the Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 when Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Thursday.

RCB are coming into this game on the back of their 10-run win against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Virat Kohli and Co. will want to seal their second win in a row. 

Contrastingly, KXIP came tantalisingly close to winning their opening game before Delhi Capitals kept their nerves to seal a victory in the Super Over. KL Rahul, who is leading the side only for the second time, will be keen to register his maiden win as IPL captain against the franchise that he once played for.

Who will win in the battle of Karnataka boys?

Two teams, six Karnataka players and a battle for bragging rights. On one side, in KXIP, we have Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, K Gowtham, Karun Nair, J Suchith and on the other side, in RCB, we have Devdutt Padikkal. Although cricket is a team sport, there are always a few interesting battles within a battle, and it will make for a fascinating contest to witness one such battle of the Karnataka boys.

Add to this, the KXIP also have India great Anil Kumble as their Director of Cricket Operations.

Head to Head

There have been 24 occasions when these two sides have squared off against each other in the IPL and there is nothing to separate them from one another as both teams have won 12 games each. 

Which players do you think will help their team to go one up and make it 13-12 in the head-to-head contests? 

Here are our five picks:

Mayank Agarwal

Scoring an impressive 89, Mayank Agarwal almost single-handedly took KXIP home in their opening game against Delhi Capitals. The right-hander was calculative and did a fine job mixing caution with aggression. While KXIP will want their other batsmen to come good, Mayank will be looking forward to continuing his form and guide the team home.

Navdeep Saini

Navdeep Saini had a good outing in RCB’s first game of the season. The right-arm pacer picked up two wickets for 25 runs as RCB beat SRH by 10 runs. With his pace, he is lethal no matter at which stage of the match he bowls. As RCB now seek their second win in a row, Saini will be crucial to the team’s success.

Devdutt Padikkal

The left-handed batsman had a terrific domestic season in the white-ball cricket, and he lived up to the promise he had shown on his IPL debut, scoring a match-winning fifty against SRH. In the RCB’s second game of the season, Devdutt Padikkal will be up against a side which is led by his Karnataka teammate KL Rahul. 

Mohammad Shami

Mohammad Shami was exceptional with the ball against DC and returned with figures of 3/15. He will once again be expected to spearhead the KXIP bowling attack as they take on RCB in their second game. He can hit the deck hard and swing the ball at pace and hence, it will be interesting to see how the battle between him and RCB’s top and middle-order pans out.

Yuzvendra Chahal

He played a vital role, scalping three wickets, including that of a well-set Jonny Bairstow, as RCB beat SRH in the first game. Yuzvendra Chahal will once again be crucial to the team’s success as they take on KXIP in their second game of the season.

Wild Card

Ravi Bishnoi

He was the tournament’s leading wicket-taker during India’s 2020 Under 19 World Cup campaign, and on his IPL debut, he did not disappoint either. Ravi Bishnoi though will be up against the likes of Virat, AB de Villiers, Aaron Finch and a young and promising Devdutt Padikkal. If he manages to mirror his performance against DC again today, it will surely be a confidence booster for the young leg-spinner.

 Stats

KXIP’s record at the venue: Played 1, Won 1

RCB’s record at the venue: Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1

Approaching Milestones

• Chris Gayle is 142 runs away from 1000 IPL runs for KXIP
• Virat Kohli needs 74 runs to complete 5500 IPL runs
• Dale Steyn needs 3 wickets to complete 100 wickets in the IPL
• AB de Villiers is 54 runs away from 4500 IPL runs