"Aaj hai VEER ZARA clash" - Twitterati reacts as PBKS square off against KKR in a crucial match in Dubai

KKR and PBKS face off in the 45th IPL 2021 game at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium today. It is a crucial contest for both teams as the league stage nears the end.

Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul won the toss and chose to field first. In the absence of Chris Gayle, Punjab have brought in big-hitting Fabian Allen into their middle-order. KKR had to make a forced change as Lockie Ferguson was unfit. Swashbuckling Kiwi batsman Tim Siefert replaced him in the playing XI. He is making his debut for KKR today.

Here are the playing XIs:

Punjab Kings XI: KL Rahul (w/c), Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Shahrukh Khan, Deepak Hooda, Fabian Allen, Nathan Ellis, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh

KKR XI: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan(c), Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w), Tim Seifert, Sunil Narine, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Varun Chakaravarthy

Also Check: IPL Live Score | IPL Points Table | IPL Schedule

Fans were excited to witness the battle between the two sides as it will have repercussions for playoff qualifying scenarios. Some of the Bollywood cricket fans also dubbed it as a clash between Veer and Zara. Those are the characters portrayed by Preity Zinta and Shahrukh Khan in a movie named Veer-Zaara.

Here are some of the best reactions:

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"Eoin Morgan is the weak link in KKR's batting line-up": Aakash Chopra

Former Indian player Aakash Chopra was critical of Eoin Morgan's batting form in the current IPL season and termed him the weak link in KKR's batting line-up. Ahead of KKR's clash against Punjab Kings, Aakash Chopra reviewed Eoin Morgan's performance with the bat in IPL 2021 on ESPNCricinfo and said:

"Morgan's bat should do the talking but unfortunately that has not been the case. If the captain of your team comes to bat at No.4 or No.5 meaning that if he is the engine room of your team but he is the weak link in the batting, then it is time to look inwards and understand that scoring runs is important.

'He makes this team a bit weak because there is no movement in the middle order except when Nitish Rana or Dinesh Karthik does it."

KKR are currently in fourth position in the points table after playing 11 games. They will be aiming to win their remaining three games and stake a claim for a playoff spot.