Mullanpur, Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians will be desperate to resurrect their faltering campaigns in the Indian Premier League when the two bottom teams meet here on Thursday.
Only a few decimal points separate the two teams after six matches, with Punjab’s slightly better net run rate of -0.218 sitting seventh in the IPL points table, one above Mumbai Indians.
Both Punjab and Mumbai have lost four matches each and are coming off defeats in their respective last matches, which means the pressure is on for both the camps to get their act together.
For Punjab, the challenge will be to get the best out of their top order with regular skipper Dhawan out for ‘seven to 10 days’ with a shoulder injury.
The only bright spot for PBKS this season has been the solid performances of their standout Indian players Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma, both of whom batted lower down the order and more than once had to make up for shortcomings at the top.
Prabhusimran Singh’s form – 119 runs at 19.83 in six matches – has been a concern and the same can be said for India’s wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma.
With selection for the World Cup squad on the horizon, Jitesh, who scored just 106 runs in six outings at 17.66, will also be under the pump.
PBKS need to find more support for their overseas bowling duo of Sam Curran and Kagiso Rabada. The Indian duo of Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel are both easy targets for the batting.
Mumbai Indians know they have enough firepower to turn the tide in their camp but a collective effort on a consistent basis is the need of the hour.
Two wins at home against Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore ended their three-match losing streak, while defeat to Chennai Super Kings despite Rohit Sharma’s century meant the five-time winners were forced back to the drawing board.
It starts with Hardik Pandya’s form and role in the team. The all-rounder has looked to share the responsibility in the bowling department but his economy rate of 12 is alarming. In the same setting, Gerald Coetzee and the uncapped Akash Madhwal contributed more than 10 runs an over.
With the bat, Pandya provided no reinforcements when batting first or finishing matches in the latter half.
At the same time, Pandya has faced adverse conditions at various stadiums in all the matches he has played this season, which can adversely affect the player.
Rohit and Ishan Kishan’s form has been crucial for Mumbai Indians, for whom Suryakumar Yadav has produced mixed results.
Teams:
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan, Matthew Short, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Sikandar Raza, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Tyde, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Bhatia, Shivam Singh , Harshal Patel, Chris Vokes, Ashutosh Sharma, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Shashank Singh, Tanay Thiagarajan, Prince Chaudhary, Riley Roseau.
Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Devald Brevis, Jasprit Bumrah, Piyush Chawla, Gerald Coetzee, Tim David, Shreyas Gopal, Ishan Kishan, Anshul Kamboj, Kumar Karthikeya, Sham Akash Madhwal, Kwena Mafaka, Naman. Dhir, Shivalik Sharma, Romario Shepherd, Arjun Tendulkar, Nuwan Tusshara, Thilak Verma, Harvik Desai, Nehal Vadhera, Luke Wood.
Timing: 7:30 PM IST.
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