IPL 2020, SRH vs KXIP preview: Rahul and Agarwal looking to convert runs into wins for KXIP

KL Rahul-led Kings XI Punjab will be eager to get a win when they face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League on Thursday.

KXIP are currently at the bottom of the points table after losing four of their five games, while SRH are only slightly better at sixth following two wins and three losses so far.

KXIP’s strength has been in a formidable opening duo. Skipper KL Rahul has been in scintillating form this year, scoring two fifties and a century, while Mayank Agarwal also has a half-century and a ton to his name. The two have done the heavy-lifting for the team. Nicholas Pooran has also looked sharp but Glenn Maxwell is yet to fire.

But despite the solid batting performances, KXIP have been unable to deliver with the ball. Mohammed Shami has impressed, and Ravi Bishnoi and Sheldon Cottrell have had their moments, but the bowling unit has struggled to fire as a unit.

They were unable to defend 223 against Rajasthan. In their 10-wicket loss in the previous outing, KXIP bowlers were at their wits end as Chennai Super Kings overhauled a 178-run target with 14 balls and 10 wickets to spare.

And come Thursday, Sunrisers, who have a strong top order comprising Jonny Bairstow, David Warner, Manish Pandey and Kane Williamson, will look to exploit a low-on-confidence KXIP bowling attack.

Warner and his men were handed a 34-run defeat by Mumbai Indians on Sunday. Having lost their opening two games due to the middle order not delivering, Sunrisers addressed the issue by bringing in Williamson to the playing XI at the expense of an all-round option.

Skipper Warner backed youngsters Abhishek Sharma and Abdul Samad to fill in for the fifth bowler and the risk paid off as the 2016 IPL champions won two games on the trot.

However, the Orange Army was dealt a massive blow when senior pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was ruled out of the tournament with a thigh muscle injury.

In Bhuvneshwar’s absence, Sunrisers struggled with their bowling. Apart from T Natarajan, pacers Sandeep Sharma and Siddarth Kaul leaked runs. Samad was also expensive, which led Warner to turn to Williamson to bowl two overs of off-spin against Mumbai.

Going ahead, there will be added pressure on yorker specialist Natarajan and star spinner Rashid Khan. Sunrisers face the conundrum of either providing stability in the middle order or strengthening their bowling attack.

They have the option of playing experienced Afghan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi or West Indies’ Fabian Allen but that would mean Willamson will have to sit out.

Match starts at 7.30 pm IST and will be live on Star Sports network / Disney+ Hotstar

(With PTI inputs)