Kings XI Punjab will play the second of their must-win matches when they come up against the Mumbai Indians.
The Kings XI Punjab pulled off a very crucial win against the Kolkata Knight Riders in their previous match. The expressions on the face of their skipper Glenn Maxwell how important the win was for them. Kings now stand firm in the points table with 12 points to their name. The win did not improve their standings but has ensured that they stay in the contention for the playoffs.
With two more matches left at their disposal, they need to win those games to stay aliveAforAplayoffs. However, things will not be easy for them in the remaining fixtures. They will be up against the Mumbai Indians in their next encounter at Mumbai.
Mumbai Indians have two games in hand and have lost just three from their 12 matches. The Wankhede is literally their fortress and to breach that KXIP has to play out of their skin.AThe last time these two sides met, Mumbai thrashed Kings XI Punjab by eight wickets; chasing 198 in just 16 overs.
Mumbai Indians lost their last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets but still remain at top of the table. Mumbai were restricted to 138 by a formidale SRH bowling lineup. Punjab will look to do the same; and the likes of Sandeep Sharma, Mohit Sharma will have to bowl in right areas to restrict the MI batsman.
Team News
Mumbai Indians
The Mumbai camp is at a happy place at the moment. They were the first team to qualify for the playoffs and would want to continue their domination at the top.
However, the last game saw them endure a rare failure. The batting collapse saw them suffer their third defeat of the season. Despite the loss, the team will stick back themselves to pull off a win against the Kings.
They have a very balanced squad at their disposal at the moment. Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel seem to be gelling very well at the top order. Nitish Rana is due for runs in the last few matches and skipper Rohit Sharma has struck back his form again.
Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya have settled in the role of the finishers for the team. The pace bowling department looks strong with the trio ofAMitchell McClenaghan, Jasprit Bumrah, and Lasith Malinga.
Kings XI Punjab
The Kings XI Punjab will definitely not try to tinker with their winning combinations. In absence of Hashim Amla, they promoted Manan Vohra back to the opening slot in the match against the Kolkata Knight Riders. He fared decently with 25 runs to his credit.
In the middle order, only Wriddhiman Saha was due for runs this season. He also got his feet going in the previous match with 38 runs to his name.
They drafted in a few new faces in the bowling department that worked wonders for them in the match. Rahul Tewatia, the leg spinner who had earlier played for Rajasthan Royals, was the pick of the bowlers for them in the match.
Also, the Kiwi speedster Matt Henry got into his groove with the ball and had a good show first up. Sandeep Sharma, as usual, was their most valuable bowler.
Head to Head :
Matches – 19
Mumbai Indians – 10, Kings XI Punjab – 9
Probable Lineups
Mumbai Indians
Lendl Simmons, Parthiv Patel(w), Nitish Rana, Rohit Sharma(c), Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Karn Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga.
Kings XI Punjab
Manan Vohra, Martin Guptill, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell (c), Wriddhiman Saha (w), Matt Henry, Axar Patel, Mohit Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Rahul Tewatia.
