IPL 2020: Top three picks for Kolkata Knight Riders against Kings XI Punjab

In a virtual playoff fixture, Kolkata Knight Riders are up against Kings XI Punjab at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday. A win is much required for both sides and the victory to Kolkata Knight Riders will almost shut the doors for other teams from qualifying for the playoff stage. Kolkata Knight Riders can reach 18 points whereas Kings XI Punjab can reach a maximum of 16 points. A defeat Kings XI Punjab will restrict them to a maximum of 14 which is a difficult scenario in the end.

Despite Chennai Super Kings being knocked out of the league, no team hasn’t qualified for the playoffs. In the previous game against Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders showed why they deserve a spot in the playoffs. A stupendous batting partnership between Nitish Rana and Sunil Narine and bowling from Varun Chakravarthy sealed the deal for Knights. The team will look to put a dominant performance again on Monday.

Sharjah Cricket Ground is not a welcoming ground for Kolkata Knight Riders. Not only they were beaten black and blue by Delhi Capitals but were humiliated by Royal Challengers Bangalore. They have to put their past performances aside if they are to move ahead in the playoffs race.

Here are the top three picks for Kolkata Knight Riders against Kings XI Punjab on Monday:

#1) Varun Chakravarthy

The eyebrows were raised when Kings XI Punjab bought the player for a sum close to 8.4 crore rupees in the 2019 auction. However, the lacklustre performance from the player made KXIP release the player who was full of potential. KKR signed the player in the 2020 auction and at the moment, the calculated risk has paid off for the outfit.

Varun heaps high praise on the KKR management and reveals how the #KKRAcademy has helped him.#KKRHaiTaiyaar #Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/X8d1bkksH0

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) October 25, 2020

Against Delhi Capitals, Varun Chakravarthy was ruthless. He derailed the opposition with his fifer which changed the course of the match. In the ongoing edition, he has 12 wickets to his name in 10 games. The player has been economical too with the bowler conceding just over 7 rpo. Can he deliver once again against Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul?

#2) Sunil Narine

The West Indian spinner was booked for a suspected bowling action which kept him away from a game or two in IPL 2020. However, he returned against Delhi Capitals on Saturday and proved his worth with the bat and bowl. Coming at No 5, Sunil Narine took on every Delhi Capitals bowler, leading Kolkata Knight Riders to a big score. He scored 64 runs from 32 deliveries which shifted the momentum towards the Kolkata outfit.

With KXIP having a batting line-up filled with left-handed batsmen, Sunil Narine has a lot to offer on Monday. He will be one of the top three picks for Kolkata Knight Riders at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

#3) Pat Cummins

The expensive signing of the season, Pat Cummins failed in his initial games to impress and drew ire from the set of fans and commentators. However, the player started to prove his mettle with both bat and bowl in a season where Andre Russell has failed to get going. In the game against KXIP, Pat Cummins will have a big role to play against the star-studded batting line-up.

He has 130+ runs and six wickets to his name in the ongoing edition of the IPL. Though he has failed to pick up the wickets, the decent bowling spells have helped the team to rake up six victories. He will be one of the top three picks for Kolkata Knight Riders against KXIP.