IPL 10, Match 19, SRH v KXIP - Kings XI Punjab Predicted XI

The Kings XI Punjab are desperately seeking a win after having lost their last two matches. They had a brilliant start to the season after having won their first couple of matches. Those wins had come on their home venue in Indore. The next couple of matches were their overseas fixtures and that definitely did not work out in their favour. Kings put forth their combinations and permutations but the tricks seemed a little too dull for them.

The team looked strong on paper and was not short on experience as well. They added English skipper Eoin Morgan in their lineup and that bolstered the experience quotient by quite a gradient. Drafting in a mystery spinner in KC Cariappa in the playing eleven only helped them to beef up their bowling. Despite these efforts, they surrendered meekly against the Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils.

Now they are up against a team that is facing a crisis similar to that of the Kings XI Punjab. Sunrisers Hyderabad had also started on a high-flying note and then lost two consecutive games to see their fortunes go down as well. The Kings will hope to counter the star-studded lineup of SRH with some good choices in the match. What combinations should they go forward with? Here is the Predicted XI for Kings XI Punjab in the lineup:

Openers (Hashim Amla, Manan Vohra)

The openers have been doing a fairly decent job for the Kings in the season thus far. Manan Vohra and Hashim Amla have managed to get starts this season. Amla had started his season with a cautious 28 and then followed it up with a match-winning fifty to his name. In the previous two games, he got scores of 25 and 19. What needs to be noticed is the fact that the veteran Proteas batsman has managed to get the starts in every game.

The story is pretty much same for Manan Vohra. Vohra is one of the most underused batsmen in the Kings XI lineup. He has been on the roster for the Kings XI Punjab for quite sometime. He has shown his class in sporadic appearances but this season seems to be the launching pad for him. This is his ideal opportunity to make the most out of the chances to put his claims for a better place in the Indian cricket circuit.

Amla and Vohra are certain starters as the openers for the Kings in the match. This can change only if the think tank opts to go with someone like Wriddhiman Saha at the top of the order with Hashim Amla.

Middle Order (Eoin Morgan, Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha)

English skipper Eoin Morgan walked in the lineup at the expense of Aussie all-rounder Marcus Stoinis. The idea behind getting him in the playing eleven seems obvious. The Kings wished to beef up their batting and hence having Morgan in the middle order gave them the extra bit of stability.

Glenn Maxwell and David Miller have been the most successful middle order batsmen for the Kings XI Punjab in the tournament history. They are the perennial choices in the middle order. Maxwell has had his struggles against leg spin bowling and the SRH camp boast of an in-form leggie in Rashid Khan. Maxwell will surely be wary of this fact before getting in the game.

Wriddhiman Saha has come in the side riding on a brilliant home season in the Test cricket. He had even commented that he wishes to translate his good form from the longer format to the shortest format of the game. However, he has had a very quiet outing in the tournament thus far. He is yet to come up with a match winning performance that will see him get his name in the headlines.

All-rounders (Axar Patel)

The only all-rounder that looks like the certain member of the playing eleven at the moment is Axar Patel. Axar has been a key part of the Kings XI Punjab roster for last two seasons. He has the ability to bowl well with the new and the old ball alike. He might well get his chances against the likes of David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan in the powerplay. The SRH openers had a quiet time against the Mumbai Indians spinners and the Kolkata Knight Riders spinners in the last two matches.

Also, the think tank has promoted Axar to number 3 slot in the batting lineup. They believe he can be an ideal pinch hitter or the floater in the batting order. Axar is hopeful of delivering the goods for the team with both bat and the ball.

Bowlers (Mohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Sandeep Sharma, KC Cariappa)

The bowling department will have the experience of Mohit Sharma. Mohit has been decent with his performances in the tournament till now. He has bowled the slower balls with guile and precision. His ability to bowl well in the death overs make him a key asset for the team.

Sandeep Sharma has been a key weapon for the team with the new ball. Sandeep’s heroics with the new ball is not a new story in the IPL. He was one of the most successful bowlers for the team in the previous three editions of the tournament. He will fancy his chances against the likes of Warner with the ball shaping away from him.

KC Cariappa played his first match of the season in the last game against Delhi Daredevils. The KXIP skipper Glenn Maxwell looked very pleased with the way he bowled in the previous match. In the post-match talk, he went on to cite Cariappa as one of the positives for them in the match.

Ishant Sharma is likely to be drafted back in the playing eleven after Varun Aaron had a disappointing outing in the previous match. Ishant played the match against Kolkata Knight Riders but was then dropped from the lineup.