When Mumbai Indians squared off against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali a couple of weeks ago, the Rohit Sharma-led side suffered an eight-wicket defeat.
But things have changed since then. With its pacers in red-hot form, Mumbai has bounced back in the tournament, defeating Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad in successive outings. So, the confident side will have revenge on its mind when it plays Kings XI at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.
Kings XI Punjab is placed third in the league table with eight points from six games, while Mumbai is two points behind and is placed at the fifth spot.
But in a league like the IPL, such numbers seldom matter and equations change thick and fast.
Pace threat
After early jitters, Mumbai has regrouped exceptionally well and with the young pacer from Antigua, Alzarri Joseph, in its ranks, the host can dream of turning the table on the opponent.
In the previous outing against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Joseph registered the best figures in the IPL — six wickets for 12 runs — and he will be gunning for more glory against Ravichandran Ashwin’s Punjab outfit, which is top-heavy in the batting department.
If Joseph’s sensational entry is a refreshing development for the Mumbai Indians, the host also has a formidable pace attack featuring Jasprit Bumrah and left-arm Jason Behrendorff.
But then, batting has been an area of concern.
Despite opening the innings, captain Rohit hasn’t been able to spread wings at the top and has so far amassed only 118 runs in five outings. Mumbai doesn’t even have anyone in the top-20 run scorers’ list this season, and that indicates how it has been for the side.
Formidable batting
On the contrary, Kings XI batting unit has looked formidable. Overcoming teething troubles, most of their top batsmen have slowly returned to form and that certainly is big boost for the side.
In the fixture against Sunrisers, K.L. Rahul and Mayank Agarwal guided the team to victory and them returning to form augurs well for the side. Then there is Chris Gayle, who can change the course of a game any given day.
Despite a good start to the tournament — a knock of 70 in the opener against Rajasthan Royals -- Gayle hasn’t looked lethal so far, and he would be hoping to fire at the iconic Wankhede.
The bowling department is well guarded by captain Ravichandran Ashwin, who has scalped seven wickets so far. On the pace front, England youngster Sam Curran and Mohammed Shami have been quite effective and if things fall in place, the two can rip apart the opponent.
With the league entering the half-way stage, every fixture is crucial and both Mumbai and Punjab will be aiming for those coveted two points!
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