Mumbai Indians, after losing their first two games of this season, have won three games in a row and are in the 6th position with 3 wins in 5 matches. They have been in great form as a team with the batters and bowlers complementing each other. The big names have finally started to perform but there is still room for improvement in certain areas. Mumbai will be eyeing their 4th consecutive win in this match.
Punjab Kings, on the other hand, are in the 7th position with 3 wins in 6 matches. They have lost 2 of their last three games and they will be eager to win this game and get those 2 important points. Their batters have been inconsistent while the bowlers have also lacked discipline. Shikhar Dhawan’s injury is a big blow to them and they’ll have to be at their best as a team in this match.
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Mumbai Indians
Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma have been brilliant at the top for Mumbai. They have been very aggressive in the first six overs which sets up the foundation of a big score and allows the middle order to bat freely. Cameron Green was brilliant in the last game with both bat and ball. He scored 64* runs and bowled exceptionally well. Suryakumar Yadav’s poor form is a big concern but he is a quality player and is expected to bounce back strongly. Tilak Varma and Tim David are in top form as well.
Bowling is the weak link for Mumbai this season. Their main bowlers are injured but the others have done a decent job until now. Jason Behrendorff is their leading pacer. Rile Meredith also bowled well in the last game and so did Cameron Green. Piyush Chawla will be their lead spinner and he’s in good form. Overall, Mumbai has a very strong batting unit but they’ll need to be on their toes while bowling.
Punjab Kings
Shikhar Dhawan’s injury has made Punjab’s top order very vulnerable. They are heavily dependent on their middle order to score the majority of the runs. We don’t know when Dhawan will return to the side. Prabhsimran Singh is the only batter who gives a little bit of confidence at the top. They need Matthew Short to be consistent with the bat. Liam Livingstone also needs to get going quickly. Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma and Shahrukh Khan are the other key batters for the Kings.
Sam Curran, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis and Kagiso Rabada are the main pacers for Punjab. One of Ellis or Rabada will play this game. Their spinners have been ineffective and that’s a big concern for them. They have failed to stop the flow of runs and pick up wickets in the middle phase. Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar and Liam Livingstone will be the spinners for Punjab. Punjab is looking lighter on the batting front and they’ll need their big guns to fire in this match.
Pitch/Venue Report
Wankhede is one of the best batting venues in the country. There will be some movement with the new ball for the Pacers but apart from that, the game will be dominated by the batters. The boundaries are short and the pitch is flat. Spinners will get little to no help off the deck. There will be dew as well in the second innings. The average first innings score is 171 runs and chasing sides have been more successful at this venue with a 60% win record.
Probable Playing XI
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, Tim David, Hritik Shokeen, Jason Behrendorff, Riley Meredith, Piyush Chawla
Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh, Atharva Taide, Matthew Short, Harpreet Singh, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Nathan Ellis/Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, Rahul Chahar
Players to Watch Out For
Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan has been very aggressive in the power play for the Mumbai Indians. He has scored 30-35 runs consistently in the last few games including a fifty against Kolkata. He will be a key batter for Mumbai at the top.
Cameron Green
Cameron Green batted at 3 in the last game and he scored a brilliant 64* off just 40 deliveries. He also bowled well and picked up 1 wicket. Green looked in good form with the bat and bowled the important overs for his team.
Sam Curran
Sam Curran will bowl in the middle and death overs and he will bat in the middle order for Punjab. He has a decent record against Mumbai – An average of 26 and his strike rate is 139.3 with the highest score of 52 in 3 games. He has picked up 5 wickets as well in 3 games.
Arshdeep Singh
There will be plenty of help for the pacers with the new ball at Wankhede which makes Arshdeep Singh a very important bowler for Punjab. Both Rohit and Ishan are vulnerable to left-arm pace and if the ball is swinging then Arshdeep can pick up a few wickets upfront in the power play.
Key Matchups
Ishan Kishan vs Arshdeep Singh: Runs – 1, Balls – 3, Dismissals – 1
Suryakumar Yadav vs Sam Curran: Runs – 7, Balls – 6, Dismissals – 1
Rohit Sharma vs Arshdeep Singh: Runs – 5, Balls – 1, Dismissals – 1
Liam Livingstone vs Riley Meredith: Runs – 10, Balls – 9, Dismissals – 1
DC vs MI Dream11 Team
Note: This is not our final Dream11 Team as we are not aware of the Toss Result/Final Playing XI of both teams at this moment.
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