A loss against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in the last home encounter will put an end to Mumbai Indians (MI) campaign this season. And a win keep their playoff hopes alive. While Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have already qualified, the fight to finish at the third and fourth spot is heating up. Barring Delhi, rest of the teams have a chance to make it to the playoffs. Mumbai lost their last match against Rajasthan Royals, but they can’t blame themselves, for the way Jos Buttler played, there was no stopping him. MI will once again rely on opener Suryakumar Yadav, who has been consistent with the bat. However, their middle order failed miserably, including skipper Rohit. Here we see the probable dream XI for the Indians:
MI: Surya Kumar Yadav, Evin Lewis, Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Ben Cutting, JP Duminy, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah
On the other hand, Kings XI have a higher chance of qualifying than Mumbai Indians, but that doesn’t mean they can take Mumbai lightly. But they lag behind Mumbai in net run-rate. Kings XI just completely lost the track in the last match. They have had a good tournament until now. Punjab have to forget the miseries as soon as possible and start afresh. The main problem with Punjab is the over-dependence on openers KL Rahul and Chris Gayle to score runs. Once the two are back in the pavilion, none of their batsmen have contributed and taken the responsibility. Punjab openers have been a major reason behind their success. Karun Nair has been inconsistent, while veterans Yuvraj Singh and Mayank Agarwal are yet to make their presence felt in the middle-order. Here are the probable dream XI for the Kings XI:
KXIP: KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Karun Nair, Aaron Finch, Yuvraj Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Andrew Tye, Mohit Sharma, Ankit Rajpoot