MI looks to revive the campaign against PBKS

MI looks to revive the campaign against PBKS time is running out for both parties. Mumbai Indians have to win every match to get 16 points. Which can be considered a safe zone to a large extent.

The Punjab Kings on the same territory :-

PBKS are also on the same territory, but with the confidence of securing a tight win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in a low-scoring contest in Sharjah two nights ago. Mumbai’s well-known batsmen, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan have faced a decline in form in recent times.

Ishan Kishan’s strike rate of 86 is the lowest for a player who has scored a minimum of 50 runs this season. For Yadav, he has scored only one point in the last four matches.

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Hardik Pandya’s workload is managing to such an extent. That he is not a shoo-in as an all-rounder, which is throwing off the balance of the team. Krunal Pandya has filled his entire quota in just one of the three matches in the UAE so far.

The First game of the Second Post :-

Kings have tried to fix things that are not broken. He dropped Chris Gayle for the first game of the second post, only to bring him back for the next two. He signed Aiden Markram to give depth from all around, but the South African hasn’t bowled a single over so far.

Adil Rashid has been signed despite Ravi Bishnoi and M Ashwin being the two resultant legspinners, both of whom have produced match-winning performances. Ishaan Porel, a benchwarmer for a good part of two seasons, was back on the bench after a lone outing.

Batting on Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul, Bowling on Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Shami. Labor and his reshuffling of the batting order have been such that Harpreet Brar, who put up a magical match-winning performance earlier in the season, is not a definite batting spot nor is he considered a frontline spin option.

Hardik returned to the XI after being ruled out of the first two games but did not bowl on Monday. The team leader has not clarified the reason behind this but has insisted that they are merely organizing his workload.

Hardik Pandya has been selected in India’s T20 World Cup squad as a genuine all-rounder. Chief selector Chetan Sharma believes that he should bowl in every match in the tournament. Only time will tell whether Hardik lacks time to bowl or not.

Probable XI :-

Mumbai Indians Squad:- 1. Rohit Sharma (capt), 2. Quinton de Kock (wk), 3. Ishan Kishan, 4. Suryakumar Yadav, 5. Hardik Pandya, 6. Kieron Pollard, 7. Krunal Pandya, 8. Adam Milne/Nathan Coulter-Nile, 9. Rahul Chahar, 10. Jasprit Bumrah, 11. Trent Boult.

Punjab Kings Squad:- 1. KL Rahul (Captain, Wicketkeeper), 2. Mayank Agarwal, 3. Chris Gayle, 4. Aiden Markram, 5. Nicholas Pooran, 6. Deepak Hooda, 7. Harpreet Brar, 8. Ravi Bishnoi, 9. Nathan Ellis/Chris Jordan, 10. Arshdeep Singh, 11. Mohammed Shami.

Jasprit Bumrah was calling back to dismiss Virat Kohli. The second over inside the powerplay against Royal Challengers. Mumbai is heavy on match-ups and may have seen Mayank get Bumrah out twice in two matches without scoring a run. So give him the first over.

Nearly half of Gayle’s dismissals in T20s this year – 13 out of 27 innings – have been for a spin. His per-out delivery against spin is 16.5, his worst deliveries in a calendar year. So, the mantra is smooth, when he comes, Mumbai will catch their spinners.

One way to offset this is to startle the opponent by opening with Gayle. This would mean Mayank goes down to three, as Rahul has been brilliant against Mumbai. His 51-ball 77 last season in the UAE helped the Kings force their game into a Super Over before securing a win against Mumbai.

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Statistics that matter :-

1. Mumbai Indians are one of only two teams this season to have a scoring rate of less than seven per over in the mid dle overs.
2. Rohit’s 163 against spin is the third-highest run for a player this season. He strikes 135 against them.
3. Since IPL 2020, PBKS have lost six out of eight matches where Rahul has been dismissed below 25.