IPL 2021: PBKS vs MI Preview - Punjab Kings Have Backs to the Wall as They Take on Defending Champions Mumbai

Punjab Kings will be up against mighty Mumbai Indians at the Chepauk and they will have their backs to the wall as they are languishing at the bottom of the table. PBKS had to a do a lot of catch up last year as well as they went onto pull off five in five but the management wouldn’t want to have same state of affairs this year.

IPL 2021 Full Coverage | IPL 2021 Schedule | IPL 2021 Points Tally

Punjab Kings: There is no shortage in quality talent in PBKS camp and yet here they are–at the bottom spot. Although there is a lot of time left in this tournament, but one must ask why PBKS continues to punch below their weight. The top order has the likes of big-match players but they are not firing in tandem. West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran has woefully short of form. Mayank Agarwal has remained iffy in his batting approach. But it’s not their batting that is the problem, it is the seamers that has let them down in last three games. Mohammed Shami went for 53 against Delhi, Arshdeep Singh was impressive but only in the first game. The management is still puzzled with so many options in Riley Meredith and Jhye Richardson. Similarly David Malan who is number one T20 batter is yet to get a game. The team combinattion is bound to get hampered with so many class foreigners in the side, a massive mistake that was overlooked.

IPL 2021: Hardik Pandya Needs to Show Some Responsibility as a Batsman – Irfan Pathan

Mumbai Indians: They might be the defending champions and the best T20 team in the world but they too, it seems, have chinks in the armour. Like in the last game against Delhi Capitals, they looked out of sorts against Amit Mishra’s spin. Punjab must take a cue from this. Meanwhile Mumbai lower middle order is a cause of concern. Hardik Pandya is yet to come to party and over-dependence on Rohit Sharma can be well exploited by PBKS. Suryakumar Yadav is the metal in the middle and if he is not kept on tight leash he can put opposition in big big trouble.

WHEN: 23rd April, 7:30 PM IST

WHERE: Chennai, India

TELECAST: Star Sports

LIVE STREAMING: Disney+ Hotstar

PBKS Team News: They will go with an unchanged squad.

Possible Playing XI: KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Moises Henriques, Shahrukh Khan, Fabian Allen, Murugan Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh

MI Team News: Despite their loss against DC, MI are not expected to do chop and change. Same squad likely.

Possible Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult

Recent Head-to-Head: (Last 5 matches)

MI won by 3 wickets

KXIP won by 8 wickets

MI won by 3 runs

MI won by 6 wickets

KXIP won by 7 runs

Quotes

KL Rahul (PBKS): “It was tough to adapt but we knew, having watched the games, what to expect. Bowlers tried very hard, but it’s very hard coming into these conditions and adapting quickly.”“Hopefully we learn from this mistake, we have a game in a few days, hopefully we come and win…. Every game from now is important for us and we’ve always been in that situation, where we get in a place where we have to win every game.”

Jayant Yadav (MI): “It was a tough wicket, we were 10-15 runs short of the par score, there was a lot of dew and we showed a lot of character to drag the match to the last over. I think IPL is a tournament where you need to be on your toes, there is a squad of 25 players but at the end of the day, only 11 come to the field. You have to buy into what the captain and management want from you. As I said IPL is a long tournament and you have to prepare accordingly.”

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