The turnaround of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has stunned many in this UAE leg of IPL 2021. So far, they have beaten three of the most fancied teams, lost off the last ball to Chennai Super Kings. With 10 points from 11 games, they now have a realistic chance of making the Playoffs. Under these circumstances, Eoin Morgan's team will take on Punjab Kings in Dubai on Friday.
For Punjab, the defeat against Mumbai in the last game has made their chances of qualification bleak. With just 8 points from 11 matches, K.L. Rahul's side only has a theoretical chance of making it to the last four stage and a defeat against KKR will neutralise that. Hence, for them it is a knockout encounter.
Meanwhile, their senior professional Chris Gayle has left the bio-bubble and will not be available for the remaining IPL 2021 matches. However, Mayank Agarwal, who missed the last match because of a stiff back, is likely to be back.
For KKR, Andre Russell is still injured and will be unavailable for this game. However, Lockie Ferguson, who was off the field towards the end of the Delhi match is likely to take part in this important contest.
KKR may be in form, but throughout this IPL 14, Punjab have played decent cricket as well. They will want to rectify their mistakes against the opposition that had denied them a title back in 2014, while KKR should look to guard against complacency, if there is any and put their best foot forward.
Likely XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Sandeep Warrier, Varun Chakravarthy.
Punjab Kings: K.L. Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Fabian Allen, Harpreet Brar, Nathan Ellis, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh
Betway Fantasy tips:
- Sunil Narine has 30 wickets against Punjab and some runs to boot. He should be one of your premier picks.
- Venkatesh Iyer's all-round display has made him an ideal choice for the role of captain. Especially, after his bowling effort against Delhi, Morgan is likely to trust him even more.
- PBKS' chances of succeeding will depend on how they play the middle overs against the KKR spinners. For that, they may trust the likes of Rahul, Agarwal and Aiden Markram. Ideally, you should pick at least two of these three.
Prediction:
KKR are trusted to register a comfortable victory against unsettled Punjab.
Blitzpools Fantasy XI
KL Rahul (wk), Aiden Markram, Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi, Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine (vc), Venkatesh Iyer (c), Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh