Kings XI Punjab won the toss and decided to field first against Mumbai Indians in the ninth match of the Indian Premier League at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali
Pitch report:
“The average first-innings score is 169. The average bounce here over the last three years hasn’t been that great when you compare with a stadium like Wankhede. There might not be much pace or bounce to work with although batting should still be alright if you dig in. Slower balls when not pitched fuller can be handy as Andrew Tye has shown,” says Michael Slater.
Here is what the captains said:
Rohit Sharma:
“We would have batted first anyway, so not really fussed. Having said that, we need to play good cricket. We were able to win our last game due to the bowling we had and it’s about putting enough runs on the board for them. We’re playing the same team.”
R Ashwin:
“We will be bowling first. We want to make conditions in the daylight and make use of the easier batting conditions later on when the lights come on. We did win our games last time although it were just three matches, we also won the day game last season. So it’s looking good. One forced change – M. Ashwin in for Varun.
Teams:
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI):
Quinton de Kock(w), Rohit Sharma(c), Suryakumar Yadav, Yuvraj Singh, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga
Kings XI Punjab (Playing XI):
Lokesh Rahul(w), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Sarfaraz Khan, David Miller, Mandeep Singh, Hardus Viljoen, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Murugan Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Andrew Tye