Kings XI Punjab will face Mumbai Indians at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday in an important encounter of Indian Premier League. Both sides have been quite unlucky so far in this tournament. Kings XI Punjab has lost their first match against Delhi Capitals in Super Over. However, they made a good comeback against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the second match. In the third match, they have been defeated by Rajasthan Royals. Rajasthan Royals have chased down a humongous total of 223 at Sharjah. Now, Kings XI Punjab will certainly be eyeing to get back into winning ways against Mumbai Indians.
On the other hand, Mumbai Indians have started their campaign with a defeat against Chennai Super Kings. In the second match, they have made a brilliant comeback against Kolkata Knight Riders. After the big win, Mumbai Indians have made been defeated by Royal Challengers Bangalore in Super Over. Rohit Sharma’s side will be eyeing to be more consistent from the next game.
Pitch Report:
The match is going to take place at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The spinners will certainly be the key to success for both sides. The toss can go either way, but having a 170+ total of the board will certainly give the batting side an edge in the match.
Head To Head Record:
Total Matches Played: 24
Kings XI Punjab Won: 11
Mumbai Indians Won: 13
Predicted Starting XI:
Kings XI Punjab:
KL Rahul (Captain, wk), Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran, Sarfaraz Khan, Karun Nair, Glenn Maxwell, Jimmy Neesham, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Sheldon Cotrell, Murugan Ashwin.
Mumbai Indians:
Quinton de Kock (WK), Rohit Sharma (C), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, James Pattinson.
Key Players:
Kings XI Punjab:
KL Rahul
Mayank Agarwal
Mumbai Indians:
Kieron Pollard
Ishan Kishan
Captain And Vice Captain Selection:
Captain Choices: KL Rahul, Kieron Pollard.
Vice-Captain Choices: Mayank Agarwal, Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma.
Probable Winner: Mumbai Indians.
Two openers of KXIP, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal are in great form. Both are in the race of Orange Cap at this moment. However, the middle order of Kings XI Punjab has not been tested yet. It will be very interesting to see how this team reacts after the quick dismissal of their two openers. The likes of Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Karun Nair and Jimmy Neesham have certainly the potential to live up to the expectations. Mohammed Shami has been the leading wicket-taker for Kings XI Punjab in this season. Sheldon Cottrell will certainly be upset after being hit five sixes in a single over in the previous match. So, there might be few changes in the starting lineup of Kings XI Punjab in this match.
On the other hand, Mumbai Indians’ opening partnership has not clicked well so far in this tournament. The team management will certainly think about it as the star Australian opener Chris Lynn is sitting on the bench for Mumbai Indians. The bowling unit of Mumbai Indians is certainly missing Hardik Pandya. There might be two to three changes in Mumbai Indians side also ahead of this match.
