Can KXIP find inspiration somewhere? | IPL 2020 Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kings XI Punjab: SWOT Analysis

The Royal Challengers Bangalore face the Kings XI Punjab in match 31 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Check out the analysis.

The SWOT for RCB

Strengths: The batsmen are delivering and they are now among the best in the league. Devdutt Padikkal, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers are putting up consistent scores.

Weaknesses: RCB have dropped a lot of catches. After the team’s loss against the Delhi Capitals, Kohli said, “We are dropping sitters and those things hurt you.” The fielding and particularly the catching in the outfield needs to improve.

Opportunities: Chris Morris’s presence has added much-needed heft to RCB’s bowling. In two matches, he has got five wickets. Morris needs to get among the wickets in the forthcoming matches as well and lead the charge in the death overs.

Threats: After the results in the first half of the season, RCB have become one of the title favourites. They will have to deal with the expectations and avoid complacency.

The SWOT for KXIP

Strengths: The past few matches have shown that the pitches are slowing. The KXIP spinners now have an advantage. Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin have done well so far. K Gowtham and Jagadeesha Suchith are the off-spin options. Mujeeb Ur Rahman is always a good powerplay option.

Weaknesses: The batting has faltered. There is too much chopping and changing in the batting order and the middle-order hasn't delivered. Nicholas Pooran has found some form but can Chris Gayle be accommodated instead of Glenn Maxwell?

Opportunities: Chris Gayle is likely to play. If he plays like everyone knows he can, the top order will be that much stronger. The line-up would then be Gayle, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Pooran as the top four. The Indian batters will need to carry the rest of the middle and lower order.

Threats: KXIP need to win at least six of their seven matches. Even if they do so, they may still not make the play-offs. Every match is basically a must-win clash. The season is all or nothing for them now. They should play with freedom and not worry about the play-offs anymore.

Head to head:

Matches played: 25

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 12

Kings XI Punjab: 13

Last five matches (most recent first):

Royal Challengers Bangalore: W-W-L-W-W

Kings XI Punjab: L-L-L-L-L

What happened in the reverse fixture?

Captain KL Rahul broke records during his knock of 132* and gave KXIP its only victory of the season against RCB. They were beaten by 97 runs.

Deccan Herald’s Dream XI

Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers (wk), Nicholas Pooran, Washington Sundar, Chris Morris, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammad Shami, Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal

Ground conditions

The temperature will be around 24 degrees Celsius. The humidity will be about 35%. The sky will be hazy with a gentle breeze.

Team news

Chris Gayle has recovered from a stomach bug and may start against his former team. No injuries reported from the RCB camp.

Impact player for RCB

AB de Villiers: On a slow track in Sharjah, he demonstrated his genius. His whirlwind innings of 73 from 33 balls was instrumental in their win. He has scored three fifties so far at a strike rate of 185.36.

Impact player for KXIP

KL Rahul: He will need to continue to be the impact player for KXIP for the rest of the tournament. If he doesn't lead from the front, the KXIP batting will go nowhere.

How to watch

The match will be broadcast live on the Star Sports network. Viewers can also catch the action online on Disney+Hotstar. The match begins at 7.30 PM IST.