Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad face each other in tournament defining clash on October 24 in Dubai.
After winning the last three-consecutive games against the top three teams in IPL 2020, Kings XI Punjab will take on the resurgent Sunrisers Hyderabad in a must-win IPL game for both sides.
Both KXIP and SRH are in the same position, having garnered eight points apiece after ten games. However, SRH is better placed at the fifth-spot by virtue of a positive net run rate. Both teams need to win the remaining four games to have a chance of making it to the playoffs.
It has been a terrific turnaround for KXIP after a slow start to the tournament. After the initial hiccups, KXIP got the campaign back on track with three consecutive wins against Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, and Royal Challengers Bangalore. KL Rahul will be hoping that his team carries on winning momentum forward to break into the top four.
Meanwhile, David Warner led SRH had endured an inconsistent IPL till now. The positives for the team that the bowling unit has been delivering even in the absence of Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. In the game against RR on Thursday, Manish Pandey and Vijay Shankar rose to the occasion and stitched an unbeaten 140-run partnership to secure a comfortable win. SRH will be hoping that other batsmen also pickup form and help them to get over the line for playoffs.
In the last encounter between SRH and KXIP in IPL 2020, SRH dominated the match and defeated Punjab by 69 runs. KXIP will be looking to avenge the loss of the previous match and carry forward the winning streak. This contest could be a cracker due to the incentives of victory for both sides.
By Archil Katiyar