While Mumbai has heavily backed on their bowlers to stand out and shift games in their favour, they clearly have to worry about the form of their batting line up as none of their players is amongst the top 20 run getters this year.
Rohit Sharma celebrates a wicket during an IPL match (Pic/ AFP)
Mumbai Indians will be seeking revenge against old foes Kings XI Punjab who handsomely won the previous encounter earlier in the tournament.
While Mumbai has heavily backed on their bowlers to stand out and shift games in their favour, they clearly have to worry about the form of their batting line up as none of their players is amongst the top 20 run getters this year. On the other hand, Punjab walks into this match a more balanced side as both their batsman and bowlers have shown good form and consistency throughout the season.
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It will be interesting to watch what Ashwin has in store to keep the hard-hitting all-rounders Mumbai have in Pollard along with the Pandya brothers, from hitting the ball out of the park. On the other hand, Mumbai Indians coaches will be keenly analyzing the sensational performances of Punjab’s top batting and devise a strategy to stop them. Mumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene will be having a happy headache due to outstanding performances by Rahul Chahar and Alzarri Joseph.
Battles to watch out for:
Rohit vs Ashwin- Kings 11 Punjab's captain Ravi Ashwin has led his team from the front claiming 7 wickets from 6 matches and would be eager to claim Rohit Sharma as his 8th victim. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians Skipper Rohit Sharma will look at this opportunity and try to get back to his besr as he has been quite mediocre scoring a mere 118 runs from 5 matches.
Gayle vs Alzarri Joseph- The young West-Indians star has made quite a name for himself after his last outing against Sunrisers Hydrabad . The ultimate test awaits him as he faces the Universal Boss tonight .A good performance against him will surely do wonders for the young lad.
Head to Head Record
Mumbai has 12 wins against KXIP while Punjab is just 1 behind at 11. They have played 23 matches against each other.
With De Kock out of form and Ishan Kishan earning a starting 11 spot, Will Mumbai drop Quinton and bring in someone like a Ben Cutting to the mix or will Rohit decide and stick to the winning formula. Will Sam Curran and co be able to restrict Mumbai to a low total on a high scoring pitch like Wankhede?
Tonight’s match promises to be a run-fest and we can’t wait to watch the titans clash in a mouth-watering encounter.
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