IPL 2021, Live Cricket Score, Punjab Kings (PBKS) vs Mumbai Indians (MI): Gayle and Rahul finish the job in this over with a flurry of boundaries, with Boult conceding two sixes, a four and a single in four deliveries as Punjab Kings coast to a nine-wicket victory with 14 balls to spare — a victory that will give their net run-rate a massive boost and should help them climb a couple of places up the points table.
Preview: Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Mumbai Indians (MI) hope to bounce back after suffering defeats in their previous encounters when they lock horns at Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium in the 17th game of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
The last time these two sides faced off, they ended up producing one of the most extraordinary matches in the history of the league. Punjab (then Kings XI Punjab), who were in the midst of a late revival, emerged victorious in the first-ever instance of a match going into a second Super Over.
The perennial under-achievers, however, are off to yet another poor start in the IPL, losing three of their first four games including a nine-wicket hammering at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their last outing. Despite the early stutter, they will look back to the narrow victory over the eventual winners of the 2020 edition for inspiration as KL Rahul's men desperately look to revive their sagging fortunes.
KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal of Punjab Kings talk after a boundary against Mumbai Indians at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Sportzpics for IPL
Defending champions Mumbai are known to be slow starters in the IPL, and this year's been no different with two wins and as many defeats so far. However, it is after the passage of the initial set of matches when Rohit Sharma's men begin to find consistency, and they'll hope a victory over the struggling Punjab brings them back to their clinical best. The fact that they're more used to the Chepauk wicket than Punjab, who have played a solitary game here so far, will further bolster their chances.
Additionally, this game will be MI's last appearance at Chepauk for the season, as their group moves to Delhi where they will play their next four games. Likewise, Punjab will travel towards the western-most state of Gujarat, where they play their next four matches at Motera, Ahmedabad.
Squads:
Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (wk/c), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Moises Henriques, Shahrukh Khan, Fabian Allen, Murugan Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Jalaj Saxena, Sarfaraz Khan, Saurabh Kumar, Jhye Richardson, Ishan Porel, Riley Meredith, Utkarsh Singh, Darshan Nalkande, Prabhsimran Singh, Harpreet Brar, Ravi Bishnoi.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Piyush Chawla, Dhawal Kulkarni, Saurabh Tiwary, Aditya Tare, Adam Milne, Chris Lynn, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Neesham, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Mohsin Khan, Arjun Tendulkar, Marco Jansen, Yudhvir Singh.
