IPL 2020, KXIP Predicted XI against MI: Can an unchanged side stop Mumbai Indians’ juggernaut?

Kings XI Punjab finally managed to break their five-match losing streak against Royal Challengers Bangalore before going into the tough game against Mumbai Indians on Sunday. Punjab is reeling at the last position with two wins out of eight games. Interestingly, both of these victories came against RCB.

However, they didn’t play bad cricket by any stretch but lost the key moments in three games, which cost them those matches. Now, Chris Gayle is back into the mix, KXIP is looking to turn the tables and rise from the ashes. But that’s easier said than done. They need to play out of their skin and win all their remaining games starting with the upcoming fixture against Mumbai. For the first time, KXIP is likely to field the same XI.

Here is a look at the KXIP Predicted XI for IPL match against MI:

1 Mayank Agarwal: The KXIP opener gave his team a dashing start against Bengaluru and scored quick-fire 45 runs off just 25 balls. He is second in the orange cap’s race with 382 runs and will look to reduce the gap.

2 KL Rahul (Captain): Punjab skipper is batting well in the IPL 2020 and is leading run-scorer with 448 runs in eight games. He played a crucial anchor’s role against RCB and remained unbeaten on 61. Rahul will try to be at his brutal best against Mumbai.

3 Chris Gayle: The Universe Boss finally got a go against his former employers RCB. And he came back in style. Gayle scored a sparkling fifty and didn’t allow Bengaluru to come back in the match. The onus is on him to change Punjab’s fortune from here on.

4 Nicholas Pooran: The destructive Caribbean batsman is batting at his brutal best in the IPL this season. Pooran is hitting the ball long and clean. He came to rescue his team against RCB on the last ball of the game to finish it with a six.

5 Glenn Maxwell: The Big Show hasn’t arrived in the IPL this year. Maxwell is batting at a strike rate below 100. That’s a strange fact but is a reality this season. Punjab team management has shown good faith in him so far this year and now it’s his turn to pay them back with match-winning knocks.

6 Deepak Hooda: Deepak Hooda was included in the playing XI against RCB for the first time in this season of IPL. He didn’t get the opportunity to contribute to his team. But Hooda must be raring to go on the field and contribute. Mumbai Indians have to watch out for his big blows towards the end.

7 Chris Jordan: The T20 specialist Chris Jordan bowled well against RCB at Sharjah. He dismissed Shivam Dube in that game and only conceded just 20 runs in three overs he bowled. However, the task will be different against Mumbai and he will have to be at his best during that contest.

8 Murugan Ashwin: The wrist-spinner bowled exceptionally well versus Bengaluru. Murugan Ashwin bagged two wickets and conceded just 23 runs in his four overs. He was tight with his line and lengths and didn’t allow RCB batsmen to break the shackles.

9 Mohammed Shami: He is a genuine wicket-taker and dismissed AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli in one over in the last game. He is Punjab’s leading wicket-taker in IPL 2020 so far. The Punjab team management will be asking him to deliver well versus Mumbai.

10 Ravi Bishnoi: Ravi Bishnoi is Punjab’s emerging player of the year. The young leg-spinner bowled well in this season and turned the ball a lot to trouble the batsmen. Despite not taking a wicket against RCB, the team management will back him to come good against Mumbai.

11 Arshdeep Singh: Arshdeep Singh had a rare expensive outing against RCB but still managed to dismiss Devdutt Padikkal. Be it powerplay or the death overs, the left-arm pacer bowled well at every juncture of the game. The game against Mumbai will be a good game for him to leave a mark on everyone.

KXIP Predicted XI against MI: KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Deepak Hooda, Chris Jordan, Murugan Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh

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