File photo of KXIP skipper KL Rahul (left) with RCB counterpart Virat Kohli.
Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli has opted to bat first after winning the toss against Kings XI Punjab in Match 31 of IPL 2020 in Sharjah on Thursday. The skipper also revealed he has no made changes to its winning combination.
Bottom-placed KXIP will look to bring their IPL 2020 play-off ambitions back on track with opener Chris Gayle in the line-up against an in-form Virat Kohli led RCB, who have won four of their last five games and are currently sitting third on the table. A win for RCB tonight could take them to top spot.
After winning toss, RCB skipper said he is expecting the wicket to get slower by the minute and hence the decision to bat first.
"We'll bat first. It looks like a dry surface and got considerably slower the last night. We saw in the second innings there was no dew and it was gripping,"he said.
The skipper is also playing is 200th game for RCB tonight and felt emotional about playing for a single franchise so far.
"RCB means a lot, not many understand that emotion. 200 games for them is unbelievable, I wouldn't have believed it in 2008. It is an honour, they've kept me and I have stayed on. When the team wins you look good as a captain," he said.
KXIP skipper KL Rahul, on the other hand, has made three changes in the line-up with Chris Gayle coming in.
" Just looking to get a couple of wickets and put pressure on them. We all feel we deserve more than two points. We have played good cricket and have lost a couple of close games. We have come here looking to win this game and be the best team we can. Everybody knows that all games are must wins for us from hereon. It's not a bad place to be in, we need to bring our A-game and do our best. Three changes: Mandeep got injured yesterday, and Prabsimran and Mujeeb miss out. Gayle, Hooda and Ashwin come in. We'll see the batting order after how the first innings goes. Chris coming in gives us a lot of energy," said Rahul.
Kings XI Punjab (Playing XI): Chris Gayle, KL Rahul(w/c), Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Deepak Hooda, Chris Jordan, Murugan Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (Playing XI): Devdutt Padikkal, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli(c), AB de Villiers(w), Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Isuru Udana, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal.
