When: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kings XI Punjab, Match 31, October 15, 2020; 18:00 Local, 19:30 IST Where: Sharjah Cricket Stadium What to expect: 33, 29, 28, 21, 17, 10 - The number of sixes hit at Sharjah have reduced exponentially over the six games played. With the scoring rate reducing to 8.04 over the last five innings at the venue, expect both teams to try and buck the trend of playing conservatively through the PowerPlay and go hard in the first six overs. Team News: Royal Challengers Bangalore Playing an extra bowler for Sharjah was a smart move from the RCB brains trust and they'll like to retain that combination for their second game here. Aaron Finch eased some concern about his form with a 47 despite struggling for fluency through his innings. His intent, to take the first ball and counter the inswinging delivery by walking at the bowlers, is a sign that the Australian captain is plotting his way out of trouble. Barring late fitness concerns, RCB are unlikely to change this XI. Probable XI: Devdutt Padikkal, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers (wk), Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Isuru Udana, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal Kings XI Punjab Gayle announced he has recovered from his stomach bug and given the state of Punjab's campaign and Sharjah serving a pitch most conducive for top-order players, the time is ripe for KXIP to introduce one of the stalwarts of the tournament. That means Mujeeb Ur Rahman is likely to miss out and KXIP can reprise their use of two legspinners in the XI by bringing back Murugan Ashwin. Gayle's inclusion will also mean one of Pooran or Rahul will have to take back the 'keeping gloves from Prabhsimran Singh. There is a case for using James Neesham and his cutters on this track with two-paced tendencies. But that change will have to come at the expense of Glenn Maxwell, whose offspinners could provide a release. Probable XI: Chris Gayle, KL Rahul (c), Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Glenn Maxwell/James Neesham, Mandeep Singh, Chris Jordan, Mohammed Shami, Murugan Ashwin/K Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh Did you know? - Glenn Maxwell has played the most balls (61) this tournament without hitting a six. - Only once in the last five seasons (2017) have KXIP won more than two games in the second half of the season - While RCB bowl well through the middle-overs (7-15), they have been sedate with the bat in the same phase. Their scoring rate (6.9 RPO) & Boundaries Per Balls (11.5) is the lowest in the league What they said: "It's great to see individuals step up when the team requires. Bowling unit, with Morris coming in, looks all the more potent. The three-week camp helped us. We have clarity of plans. Know exactly what we want to do on the field. It's very positive. If your bowling unit is strong, you have a great chance of going deep in the tournament." - Virat Kohli puts a finger on what's going well for RCB. "This year has been a different role [batting at No.5] and I am trying to get used to it. I would like to think that I have tried to do my role as well as I can. We have got Nicky [Nicholas Pooran] batting unbelievably well at four. With his power-hitting, my job has been to get him on strike and be there to help finish off games." - Glenn Maxwell on how his role in the IPL has been different to what he plays for Australia. Bangalore v Punjab, Match 31: Preview (Hindi) Bangalore v Punjab, Match 31: Preview (Hindi) TweetShareCopy URL Squads: Royal Challengers Bangalore Squad: 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, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Dale Steyn, Umesh Yadav, Moeen Ali, Pawan Negi, Josh Philippe, Parthiv Patel, Adam Zampa, Pavan Deshpande, Shahbaz Ahmed Kings XI Punjab Squad: Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul(c), Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Simran Singh(w), Mandeep Singh, Chris Jordan, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Arshdeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Karun Nair, Murugan Ashwin, Krishnappa Gowtham, James Neesham, Sheldon Cottrell, Deepak Hooda, Sarfaraz Khan, Hardus Viljoen, Jagadeesha Suchith, Ishan Porel, Tajinder Singh, Darshan Nalkande, Harpreet Brar #ipl #ipl_live #ipl_2020 #rishabh_raj #bangalore #punjab