Kolkata and Punjab square off in the virtual playoff decider fixture on Monday night in Indian T20 League 2020.
Match Timings: Oct 26, 7:30 PM
Team Preview
After fabulous comeback victories on Saturday, Kolkata and Punjab find themselves in a virtual playoff decider. From 42/3, Kolkata managed to post 194, riding on a blistering partnership from Rana and Narine. Chakravarthy got 5-wickets haul to secure Kolkata, a comprehensive win over Delhi. Meanwhile, Punjab pulled off a great escape against Hyderabad with defending a mere total of 126, thanks to Chris Jordan and Arshdeep Singh’s exceptional bowling at the death. Punjab had a remarkable comeback in the second half, winning four games on the trot. Kolkata needed a confidence-boosting win on Saturday and they did it in in style. It’s a pretty clear scenario for both sides on Monday.
If Kolkata wins, they will reach at 14 points with remaining two more games and they will assure their place on 4th spot. If Punjab wins here, they will be on same 12 points with Kolkata. Kolkata put a dominating display for the first time and Morgan would keen to carry the winning momentum in this crunch game. The struggle in powerplay is still a problem for them and they have the worst numbers in powerplay amongst all sides. Russell is recovering from the injury and Kolkata would give him another day to rest. Punjab can also recall Mayank Agarwal who was injured against Delhi. Maxwell's form is still a big concern and on a spinning track, Rahul can either think about Mujeeb/Neesham or go ahead with Maxwell on more time.
Pitch Report
Sharjah’s surface is now getting bowling-friendly but it offers plenty of runs due to the short boundaries. Spinners are crucial in middle-overs but pacers can also take the advantage. Chasing would be an ideal call on this tricky surface.
Possible XI
Kolkata
Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy
Punjab
KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Deepak Hooda/Mandeep Singh, Chris Jordan, Murugan Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh
Key Players
Kolkata
Eoin Morgan
This season – M: 11, Runs: 295, Avg: 36.87
Varun Chakravarthy
This season – M: 10, Wickets: 12, Avg: 23.50
Punjab
KL Rahul
This season – M: 11, Runs: 567, Avg: 63
Mohammed Shami
This season – M: 11, Wickets: 17, Avg: 21.17
