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Match Details:
Date: 23rd April 2021
Time: 7:30 pm (IST)
Venue: Chepauk Stadium, Chennai
Live Ball-by-Ball Commentary: SportsTiger App
Preview:
It is time for match no. 17 in Indian Premier League as Mumbai Indians lock horns with Punjab Kings on Friday. Both the sides are coming to this contest on the back of defeats. While Rohit Sharma's team lost out to last year's runners-up Delhi Capitals, KL Rahul's men were absolutely thrashed by Sunrisers Hyderabad in their previous clash.
Talking about the defending champions, they have had a horrific outing so far with the bat. They have only managed to put up below-par scores of 159, 152, 150 and 137 in four matches at Chepauk. While the bowlers have bailed them out on few occasions, MI would be hoping for a better show from their star-studded line-up. On the other hand, Punjab have been let down in all the departments, especially in previous two contests. While they need to bat sensibly, the onus will be on the bowlers to step up and take few wickets to restrict the opposition.
The conditions are getting more and more challenging in Chennai and with the wicket slowing down, both the teams will have to come up with a different approach to edge out their opponents. Both Mumbai and Punjab had opted to bat first and defend the target in their last match but failed miserably. While it is expected that the plan will be the same, the execution is going to be key on Friday. The stage is set for a high-voltage clash where another low-scoring thriller could be on the cards.
Head to Head:
Matches played: 26
Punjab Kings: 12
Mumbai Indians: 14
Team News:
Punjab Kings
KL Rahul's side made a few key changes to their side according to the conditions in Chennai. While Henriques and Allen are expected to retain their places, there is a slight possibility that Dawid Malan would come in to replace Chris Gayle, who is struggling a bit with form. Ravi Bishnoi could also be an exciting option for the PBKS side in the spin-friendly conditions.
Mumbai Indians
Rohit Sharma's side is not known for making too many changes to their playing XI. While they opted to play with only 3 overseas players in their previous contest, they might follow the same strategy against Punjab Kings. In that case, Jayant Yadav is expected to get another game ahead of Adam Milne, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Marco Jansen.
Key Players:
Mayank Agarwal
The PBKS opener plays a very important role in the success of his side. Mayank has the ability to play at a higher strike-rate right from the beginning and will be key against a lethal bowling line-up of Mumbai Indians. With only 105 runs in 4 matches so far, the 30-year-old will need to play a big knock on Friday.
Quinton de Kock
The South African has had a horrific start to IPL 2021, with only 44 runs in 3 matches so far. However, Quinton de Kock certainly knows how to come back in style. The left-handed batsman might fancy his chances of returning to form against a weak-looking Punjab Kings bowling line-up.
Deepak Hooda
The all-rounder has looked quite impressive in the first few games of this season. With an ability to make quick runs, he will also play a crucial role with the ball in spin-friendly conditions at Chepauk. Hooda would certainly want to make an impact with his all-round abilities against MI.
Probable playing XI
Punjab Kings:
KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Dawid Malan, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Shahrukh Khan, Moises Henriques, Jalaj Saxena, Murugan Ashwin, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami
Mumbai Indians:
Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Jayant Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult