Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), currently rock-bottom in the IPL 2020 Points Table, will take on two-time champions and an in-form Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in a crucial league match at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi on Saturday. The KL Rahul-led side had started the tournament on a high, winning one out of their opening two games. With their openers leading the run-scoring charts and bowlers occupying top spots in wicket-takers' list, everything seemed to be going right for them, but it didn't last too long. After thrashing Royal Challengers Bangalore by 97 runs in the second match, KXIP's IPL 2020 campaign has only gone downhill and they are still waiting to register their second win of the season. Aiming to bring their campaign back on track, they face Dinesh Karthik's KKR who have been impressive so far, to say the least, winning three of their five games and are placed fourth on the eight-team table.
Apart from their current form, KXIP don't find solace even in their head to head records, which clearly suggest that the Kolkata-based franchise have dominated this contest for several years now.
Out of the 25 matches played so far between the two sides, Kolkata Knight Riders have always been a tough nut to crack for KXIP in the IPL.
If we go by the head to head stats, KKR enter Saturday's clash as the outright favourites, having defeated KXIP 17 times in the past, as compared to Punjab's eight wins over their rivals thus far. Just to put into perspective, of all the franchises KXIP have their second worst win percentage against KKR.
Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Head to Head Match Stats
Matches: 25
KKR Won: 17
KXIP Won: 8
That said, Kings XI Punjab have all the arsenal in their ranks to beat any team on a given day but for that they need to pull up their socks before it's too late. For fans, the good news is Chris Gayle is expected to be back in the playing XI, after missing the last game due to food poisoning.