The Indian Premier League (IPL) is all about the ‘expect the unexpected’ philosophy. Yet, a few things remain unchanged since that inaugural year. One of them is the perennial struggle of Punjab Kings (PBKS), formerly Kings XI Punjab, to finding the right balance in their line-up.
Led by KL Rahul, PBKS began IPL 2021 with a nerve-racking 4-run win over Rajasthan Royals (RR). Since then, they have been outclassed in every department by Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Delhi Capitals (DC) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). But their next task is perhaps the biggest of them all.
Match 17 of the IPL 2021 will feature PBKS taking on defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, on 23 April.
Mumbai, too, did not have the best of starts in the new campaign. This was the ninth time in a row that they have started an IPL edition with a defeat. However, as the tournament progressed, they have exerted dominance over the other teams, and have won five of the previous eight editions.
Here, too, they have played four matches so far and have emerged victorious in two of them, against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Hyderabad, from the jaws of defeat, before losing to Delhi.
However, Rohit Sharma & co. will prefer a 3-2 winning record to finish their Chennai leg. But there are few areas which they would like to improve in the Punjab match.
Batting has been a concern for Mumbai this time. Rohit himself has been getting the 30s and 40s but is yet to leave an impact. Their middle-order batters, too, are still not at their explosive best.
In their last encounter, against Delhi, Rohit scored 44. Mumbai were 67/2 after Rohit’s departure and five overs after, they tumbled to 84/6. Apart from Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit, no Mumbai batter has an aggregate 70 runs after four matches.
However, Mumbai are unlikely to make any changes against Punjab. They acknowledge their players’ calibre very well. Their bowling, once again, has been splendid, with leg-spinner Rahul Chahar leading from the front with eight wickets.
PBKS, although, need to replace at least two players if they fancy their chances against Mumbai. They must bring Ravi Bishnoi in their line-up. Bishnoi is yet to feature in IPL 2021, despite playing all 14 matches last year in UAE, taking 14 wickets.
Another change Rahul may make in their playing XI is by giving top-ranked T20I batsman Dawid Malan his maiden IPL cap against Mumbai. Both Nicholas Pooran and Chris Gayle have seemed off-colour and one of them may sacrifice his place for Malan.
Head to head
Mumbai have played 26 times and have won on 14 occasions. Their last meeting ended up with a double Super Over where Punjab emerged victorious at the end.
Key Players
KL Rahul (Punjab Kings): Rahul has smashed 580 runs against Mumbai in 12 innings, striking at 131. He has a knack of scoring runs against Mumbai. He has reached 70 in four of his last five Mumbai matches.
Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians): We had seen Virat Kohli back to his basics last night against Rajasthan. Now, it’s time for Rohit to give something similar to his fans. Remember, Punjab bowlers are not one of the strongest in this edition.
Likely XIs
Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Dawid Malan, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Shahrukh Khan, Moises Henriques, Fabian Allen, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh.
Mumbai Indians: Quinton de Kock (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Jayant Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult.
Prediction: Punjab Kings to win the contest.