IPL 2019: All-time playing XI for KKR vs KXIP

The Bollywood film industry has a special bond with cricket. Whether it is love affairs, marriage rumours or even the amount of interest either side has shown in each of their professions, this connection has been something of special attraction for the viewers across the country.

Even in IPL we have several franchises that are owned by Bollywood personalities, out of which the most renowned ones are the Kings XI Punjab and the Kolkata Knight Riders. Any clash between these two teams pits the players as well as their co-owners Preity Zinta and Shahrukh Khan against each other, which makes it doubly interesting.

Today is another such occasion as the KKR vs KXIP rivalry takes center-stage in the 6th match of IPL 2019. Both the teams have a win under their belt and would be high on confidence.

However, those two wins were also the most dramatic of the season so far. Kolkata won against Sunrisers through the stupendous batting of Andre Russell, whereas Kings XI managed to defeat the Rajasthan Royals in their last match, but had to face brickbats for the entire Mankading saga, which would have definitely hurt them.

But now it's time to keep all emotions aside and buck up for the next game, as maintaining the winning momentum is crucial for both teams. Nothing can be taken for granted by either captain, as both the sides have some powerhouse players.

This rivalry has always been an interesting one. If you look at the KXIP vs KKR head to head stats, you can see that the Knight Riders have had an upper hand over the Kings.

Out of 23 matches, Kolkata have won 13 whereas Punjab have 9 under their name. These two teams even played an IPL final against each other in 2014, in which KKR emerged victorious.

Over the years there have been some astonishing performances by various cricketers from each of the sides. This is how the all time playing XI for this rivalry would look:

Gautam Gambhir (c), Chris Gayle, KL Rahul, Robin Uthappa, Mahela Jayawardene, Wriddhimann Saha (wk), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Umar Gul, Sandeep Sharma, Umesh Yadav.

This playing XI consists of players who have been doing really well over the years. Of course, times have changed and it has been a while now since Jayawardene, Gambhir and Gul played.

It's a new and fresh season, and today both the teams will try their level best to increase the count of their win tally.

Date and Time: Wednesday 27th March, 2019 at 8:00 pm

Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata.