IPL 10, Match 55, RPS v KXIP - Rising Pune Supergiant Predicted XI

The Rising Pune Supergiant find themselves in an awkward position at the moment. A couple of matches ago, little did they imagine that they will find themselves in a must-win situation in the league stages. A defeat in the last game against the Delhi Daredevils now sees them stuck at 16 points. In case, the Kings XI Punjab beats them in this particular encounter, the RPS camp might miss out on the playoffs owing to poorer net run rate.

Talking about the current form, the Kings XI have found themselves in a happy spot at the moment. They managed to win their last two games and that sees them having the winning momentum at their disposal. On the other hand, the Steve Smith-led RPS lost their last game against the Delhi Daredevils. The do-or-die match is set to keep the intensity high and the KXIP camp will head as favorites going into the game.

The two teams share a rich history of interesting games in the tournament history. They had clashed in the last league game of the previous season as well. It was MS Dhoni who had finished things off in style for Rising Pune Supergiant with a thundering effort of 23 runs in the final over. This year, it was KXIP, who toppled the Supergiant in the reverse fixture of the season. Considering the high-intensity game, the teams would want to put their best foot forward for the occasion.

Here is the Rising Pune Supergiant Predicted XI for the RPS v KXIP encounter:

Openers (Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul Tripathi)

Ajinkya Rahane is one the senior players in the RPS lineup at the moment. Hence, it was pretty much expected that the Indian international will shoulder the bulk of the responsibility for the Supergiant top order this season. However, he has been far from being impressive this season. Only a handful of starts from him this season has cost the Rising Pune Supergiant to some extent.

Rahul Tripathi has been the revelation for the Supergiant this season. However, ever since the fans have started looking upto Rahul for better shows, the Pune batsman has got a string of low scores. Much to his defense, he is more than capable of coming up with a better show to silence all critics soon.

Middle Order (Steve Smith, Manoj Tiwary, MS Dhoni)

The RPS middle-order has been on a shaky ground. At times, they have promoted Ben Stokes to the top order which has worked pretty well. In the last few matches though, Manoj Tiwary has been getting a promotion to number 4 in the lineup. Tiwary has been the unsung hero of the team. He has been the most consistent run getter for RPS this season and had hit a fifty in vain in the previous game against Delhi Daredevils.

Skipper Steve Smith had started off the season on a high with a brilliant fifty to his name. However, since then, he is due for runs this season. Time and again, Smith has managed to get the starts. But his run flow has not been as fluent as he is known to be. Also, a big score has largely eluded him.

Former RPS skipper MS Dhoni has always been the center of attraction in the lineup. He was in a position from where he had every ingredient to finish things off for Rising Pune Supergiant in the previous game. However, the veteran batsman failed to live up to the name and was dismissed cheaply. He would want to cover up for that loss with an impressive showing in the last league game.

All-rounders (Dan Christian, Ben Stokes)

Dan Christian has evolved as the finisher for the RPS this season. He has often played the finishing touches in the crucial wins in the tournament. Christian has not had a great share of role to play in the matches thus far. Neither has he been utilised to the full capacity with the ball, nor has he been given enough opportunities with the bat. Despite all this, he has managed to contribute to the team’s cause.

Coming into the tournament, Ben Stokes had a lot of eyes glued to him. It was his big price tag that captured the eyes of all. The English all-rounder rightly responded with superlative performances in the season. He has a century to his name in the season. Time and again, he has proved to be the wicket taker for the team as well. Also, Stokes has been exceptional on the field with some acrobatic saves.

Bowlers (Washington Sundar, Jaydev Unadkat, Adam Zampa, Shardul Thakur)

Washington Sundar is a batsman who is capable of bowling decent off-spinners. However, this season of the IPL is seeing him turn out to be a bowler. He has been bowling very well with his off-spinners. Skipper Steve Smith has used him with utmost precision in the powerplay overs. Considering the left handed top order of the KXIP lineup, Sundar will be a key player this season.

Jaydev Unadkat has been the most successful pacer for the Rising Pune Supergiant this season. Unadkat has a five wicket haul to his name which includes a hat-trick as well. This in itself is a testimony of how good he has been with the ball. He has managed to be in the wickets column in almost every game this season.

Along with Unadkat, there is another Indian pacer who has been doing the job for the RPS camp this season. Shardul Thakur has bowled good lines first up with the new ball. He has not been as effective as Unadkat when it comes to controlling the run flow. However, he has been a wicket taking option too.

Adam Zampa was drafted back into the lineup at the expense of Imran Tahir. Tahir had been a perennial performer for Supergiant this season. However, Zampa seems to be a good replacement for her. Zampa bowled decently enough in the previous game after having come into the set up after a layoff.