Shami's speed vs Gayle Storm: Kings XI Veterans face each other ahead of IPL 2020; watch

As franchises gear up for the upcoming IPL 2020, Jamaican power-hitter Chris Gayle faced Indian speedster Mohammad Shami on Monday. In the Kings XI Punjab training session, a video of which was posted by the franchise on Twitter, Gayle can be seen elegantly driving away Shami's speedy delivery. Known for his explosive innings in the IPL, the Jamaican power-hitter will be looking forward to repeating his heroics in the upcoming edition in UAE. 

On the other hand, Mohammad Shami will be leading Punjab's pace attack in the IPL 2020. The former Delhi player will be supported by Chris Jordan, Sheldon Cottrell and James Neesham. Kings XI Punjab will face Delhi Capitals in their opening clash at Dubai on September 20. 

KL hits the nets

Kings XI Punjab had their first net session in the UAE last Thursday after ending their mandatory one-week quarantine period. Kings XI Punjab skipper KL Rahul was also with the team and had a swing at the nets after the Coronavirus-forced break. The Indian batsman expressed displeasure over the hot conditions in the Middle-East and remarked that he would have loved to bat in a 'much cooler' temperature. 

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"It (the net session) was very good. Been at home for so long so just being able to get a chance to be in the middle with the team to get a hit feels really really good. The conditions are very very hot. Ideally, I would have loved to bat in temperature much cooler. But yeah, really happy to be outdoors and to practice and to do what we love," the skipper had said. 

IPL 2020 schedule announced

Defending champions Mumbai Indians will face MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings in the opening clash of the tournament on September 19 in Abu Dhabi. Compared to the regular 8 pm IST start, the games will start half an hour earlier in the upcoming edition. The afternoon matches are set to begin at 3:30 PM IST while the evening games will commence at 7:30 PM IST. Check the full schedule here.

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After the tournament opener on Saturday, Dubai will host its first game on Sunday when Delhi Capitals take on Kings XI Punjab followed by the third match on Monday between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore.  In all, 24 matches will be held in Dubai, 20 in Abu Dhabi and 12 in Sharjah, while the venues for playoffs will be announced later.

Kings XI Punjab full squad

Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Sheldon Cottrell, Ishan Porel, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Arshdeep Singh, Hardus Viljoen, M Ashwin, J Suchith, Harpreet Brar, Darshan Nalkande, Glenn Maxwell, James Neesham, Chris Jordan, Krishnappa Gowtham, Deepak Hooda, Tajinder Singh Dhillon, KL Rahul (C), Nicholas Pooran, Prabhsimran Singh

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