Axar Patel will continue to spend some more time on the bench as the all-rounder is still suffering from a small niggle and will not be fit for Kings XI Punjab‘s next tie on Thursday evening.
Interestingly, the news was confirmed by Axar himself.
“My left thigh obtained strain during the game against Royal Bangalore Challengers. I got an MRI done which showed 10 percent strain. I reckon I will be fine after a few net sessions and match-fit after one or two games,” Patel said.
Axar missed the game against Chennai Super Kings and was replaced by paceman Barinder Sran.
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The left-arm pacer Sran went for 37 runs in his four overs and eventually returned wicketless. He was also wayward with the ball to giveaway extra runs.
Though he went on to claim two good catches right at the start of the innings. He is expected to retain his place in the playing XI as Axar Patel is not fit to play.
In other changes, Kings XI Punjab might leave out Andrew Tye as well. He hasn’t been able to impress so far and has been expensive as well with the ball.
Tye was purchased by the franchise for INR 7.20 Crore owing to the two-day mega-auction in January. He went for 47 runs in the last game against Chennai Super Kings, which KXIP won by just four runs.
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Mahendra Sindh Dhoni, CSK captain, tried to pull off a heist but he was suffering from a back issue.
Though Dhoni denied the role of back pain in his batting, it was evident that he was struggling while playing a few shots.
In the end, Kings XI Punjab prevented a defeat and won the game by four runs, after putting 197 on the board in 20 allotted overs.
The game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday (April 19) will be the last game for Kings XI Punjab in Mohali.
Moreover, Ravichandran Ashwin-led team will then shift its base to Indore, its second home.
Kings XI Punjab will play their next four home games in Indore.
The team is currently placed at the third position on the IPL 2018 points table with two wins from three games.