IPL 2020 Match 50 KXIP v RR Betting Preview

Match Details
Kings XI Punjab v Rajasthan Royals
Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Friday, October 30th 2020
16:00 SA Time

IPL 2020: Match 50 – Kings XI Punjab v Rajasthan Royals Preview, Prediction, Probable Playing XI and Value bets.

Betting Preview

We are into the business end of the tournament and things are heating up as far as the top four qualification scenarios are concerned. No team has officially sealed a place in the top four yet. And here are two teams, Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), who square off in match number 50 of this IPL trying to make a late surge into the top four.

It’s been a remarkable turnaround for Kings XI Punjab. KL Rahul and his men looked dead at the halfway mark and were reeling at the bottom with a mere two points. However, five wins in a row and they are up and running. In fact, they are one of the top-runners to clinch one of those four playoff spots.

KXIP’s batting is finally looking settled and is not only dependant on the top two. KL Rahul has continued his superb form and in Mayank Agarwal’s absence, Mandeep Singh has stepped up. Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran have added that extra edge to the middle-order. Their bowling seems to be pretty sorted too. Mohammed Shami is attacking with the new ball, the young and impressive Arshdeep Singh alongside Chris Jordan have taken up the responsibility of nailing the yorkers and executing their plans at the death. The leg-spinners Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin have been very good too. After that initial rut, KXIP are looking well settled and balanced too.

On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals have just not found that momentum this season. Every time it looks like they have well and truly arrived, and they could be the team to watch out for, they come crashing down and lose pretty badly. RR are still in the playoffs hunt at the moment. The Steve Smith-led side can get to a maximum of 14 points and for that, they need to win their next two games by big margins to cover up for their net run rate. RR will also need a few other results to go their way.

Their side is looking a lot more settled than what it was a few games ago. Ben Stokes finally came to the party with the bat while Robin Uthappa is looking at home at the top of the order. The middle-order of Steve Smith, Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler have blown hot and cold but they can be match-winners themselves.

The concern for RR is their bowling which is heavily dependent on Jofra Archer. The Barbados-born England fast bowler has been RR’s talisman with the ball and has picked up wickets regularly. He has had very little support from the other fast bowlers while the spinners have done a decent job. So, the other bowlers need to support him well for Rajasthan to stand a chance of making it to the top four.

Injury and Availability News

Mayank Agarwal has been forced to sit out for a couple of games after he injured himself in the game against Delhi Capitals. KXIP will be hoping he can recover quickly.

Probable Playing XI

Kings XI Punjab

KL Rahul (c & wk), Mandeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Mayank Agarwal/Deepak Hooda, Chris Jordan, Murugan Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh

Rajasthan Royals

Robin Uthappa, Ben Stokes, Steven Smith (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Ankit Rajpoot/Varun Aaron, Kartik Tyagi

Key Players to watch out for

KL Rahul: The KXIP skipper seems to have slowed down a touch in the last few games. He has 70 runs in his last three innings compared to 525 runs prior to that. Rahul will want to get back to his best and bring back those big and tall scores. He is leading the Orange Cap race with 595 runs.

Nicholas Pooran: The explosive left-handed West Indies batsman’s form has improved as the tournament has progressed. Pooran has amassed 329 runs at a strike-rate of 171.35 and has been vital to KXIP’s middle-order. He could be the one to watch out for in this game.

Rahul Tewatia: The last time KXIP and RR faced each other earlier this season, Rahul Tewatia happened. Since then, the leg-spinning all-rounder has been in good form with the bat and is chipping in nicely with the ball too. All eyes could be on him once again since RR face KXIP.

Value Betting

Kings XI Punjab

KL Rahul to be KXIP’s top batsman at 1.60.

Mohammed Shami to be KXIP’s top bowler at 1.75.

Rajasthan Royals

Jos Buttler to be RR’s top batsman at 2.75.

Jofra Archer to be RR’s top bowler at 1.60.

Prediction: Kings XI Punjab to win at 0.76.