A battle between stalwarts tonight. Both the teams got big names and are coming from a loss in their previous games. Kings XI Punjab are desperately looking to get back to winning ways while the loss would be an end of the road for defending champions. Meanwhile, Indore is all ready to get its first game of the season.
Mumbai Indians – A do or die scenario
The defending champions found themselves in a soup after failing to tackle out those last-over thrillers. Right from the first game against Chennai Super Kings to the recent Royal Challengers’ clash, Mumbai missed out crucial moments when it mattered the most. However, its time to pull their socks in order to show their charisma as a team.
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Earlier, Mumbai used to have bowling vows but now, unexpectedly, they are facing batting problems as well. The form of Ishan Kishan was out of the track while Rohit Sharma’s consistency once again in question. Hardik Pandya found his rhythm but Krunal Pandya and Kieron Pollard are facing tough times.
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Mumbai Indians might tinker a bit to their bowling department as well. Mitchell McClenaghan’s control of the ball is the major area of concern while team desperately need Jasprit Bumrah to be on top of his game. It has been a while since Bumrah finding those yorkers in the death overs. All in all, they will go with positive shoulders into the game to face Preity Zinta’s lads.
Kings XI Punjab – Looks to tighten grip in the points table
The Ashwin-led side are quite comfortable in their ranks. They are placed 4th in the points table with 5 wins in their 7 games. Their superior net-run-rate makes them a perfect candidate for the top finish as well. However, Sehwag-mentoring side wants to take it one game at a time and progress strength to strength in the tourney.
They are coming after a fine break to take on Mumbai Indians in their second home venue. All the players would be quite fresh and expect some crackers from batting department. Aaron Finch and Yuvraj’s form is the area of concern for Punjab but the top-notch batting from KL Rahul, Karun Nair and Chris Gayle is covering their flaws.
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Ashwin is very happy with the way his bowlers are doing their job. Ankit Rajpoot is a special mention as he found perfect line and lengths and already bagged a couple of man of the matches as well. Mujeeb Zadran is on top of his game while Andrew Tye is hitting in the right areas. Axar Patel might get a look tonight as he was sidelined for quite a period of time due to injury.
However, a perfect night is at stake at Indore. The defending champions will come with all their guns blazing while Kings XI Punjab wants to open their second home with a win in their kitty.
Possible Playing XI:
KXIP: KL Rahul (wk), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Manoj Tiwary/Yuvraj Singh, David Miller, R Ashwin (c), Andrew Tye, Mohit Sharma, Ankit Rajpoot, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
MI: Suryakumar Yadav, Evin Lewis, Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma, JP Duminy, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Ben Cutting, Mitchell McClenaghan/Mustafizur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mayank Markande.
When & Where to watch:
Date & Time: Friday, May 4 at 8:00 PM IST
Venue: Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore
Live Telecast: Star Sports Network, Jio and Hot Star Premium customers.