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IPL 2020: KXIP will have to bring their 'A' game against Mumbai Indians, says Anil Kumble

WION Web Team
New Delhi, IndiaUpdated: Oct 01, 2020, 04:44 PM IST
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A file photo Photograph:(Zee News Network)

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Mumbai Indians take on Kings XI Punjab at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday as the action in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 continues. Ahead of the much-awaited match between KXIP and MI, Kings XI Punjab head coach Anil Kumble has said that they will have to bring their “A” game against the defending champions.

Mumbai Indians take on Kings XI Punjab at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday as the action in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 continues. Ahead of the much-awaited match between KXIP and MI, Kings XI Punjab head coach Anil Kumble has said that they will have to bring their “A” game against the defending champions.

Kumble, talking about KXIP’s match against MI, said that Abu Dhabi is a new venue for the Punjab outfit while praising Mumbai Indians for being a “very settled team”. The former Indian skipper lavished praise on KXIP squad as he said that they have been consistent in the last three games and want to carry forward the momentum against MI.

"We need to assess the conditions, we are entering Abu Dhabi which is a new venue for us. Having said that, Mumbai is a very strong team, we know that. They are a very settled team, they have been playing the same XI, almost the same XI for the last couple of years," said Kumble in a video posted on the official Twitter handle of KXIP.

"We know their strengths and we will have to bring our 'A' game against them. I am really happy with our last three games for the way we have been consistent, so looking forward to that kind of effort again in Abu Dhabi," he added.

KXIP have lost two while winning one of their three matches so far in IPL 2020. While KXIP lost to DC in the nail-biting Super Over, Rajasthan Royals chased down a mammoth 224 with three balls to spare.

Accessing the conditions in Abu Dhabi, Kumble opined that it will be different from Sharjah and the team will need to adapt to the conditions quickly. 

"It's new ground, the boundaries are bigger so it is not going to be easy to hit sixes like how it was in Sharjah. But having said that, we will have to assess conditions and adapt," said Kumble.

Meanwhile, MI have also won just one match in the IPL 2020 so far. Currently, Punjab and Mumbai are placed at the fifth and sixth positions in the IPL standings.