IPL 2023: Mumbai Indians will have a tough test in front of Punjab Kings
Mohali. Mumbai Indians, who are trying to get their campaign back on track after an unexpected win in the last match, will face a tough challenge from Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match to be held here on Wednesday. The matches ahead are very important for both the Mumbai and Punjab teams. Five-time champions Mumbai finished 10th and last last season and are not looking good this time too. The Rohit Sharma-led side has eight points from eight matches and is placed seventh. In such a situation, the road ahead for the team will be full of thorns due to a defeat. The Shikhar Dhawan-led Punjab Kings team has 10 points from nine matches and is at the sixth position. She would like to strengthen her chances of reaching the playoffs by winning this match.
Mumbai’s last over win against Rajasthan Royals in the last match would have boosted their morale. Singapore-born Australian all-rounder Tim David hit Mumbai for three consecutive sixes. With his unbeaten 45 off 14 balls, Rajasthan Royals’ score of 212 for seven also proved dwarf. India’s T20 specialist batsman Suryakumar Yadav (55), Australian all-rounder Cameron Green (44), Ishan Kishan (28) and Tilak Verma (29 not out) also made important contributions but David’s innings was no match, hitting five sixes and a six. Hit two fours. Mumbai would expect a similar performance from their players against the Punjab Kings. The Punjab team plays aggressive cricket but the biggest concern for them is the lack of consistency in the performance of the top-order batsmen.
Barring skipper Shikhar Dhawan and to a lesser extent his opening partner Prabhsimran Singh, other Punjab batsmen have failed to make the expected contribution. However, in the last match against Chennai Super Kings, all their batsmen contributed which is a positive sign for the team. Dhawan and Prabhsimran will need to provide good starts and Liam Livingstone, Sam Karen and wicket-keeper batsman Jitesh Sharma will also need to make useful contributions in the middle order if Punjab are to continue their winning streak.However, the Punjab team will have to be careful with Jofra Archer, who took all his quota of overs in the last match and also took a wicket. Left-arm fast bowler Arshad Khan and experienced spinner Piyush Chawla will also be expected to do well for Mumbai.
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However, for Mumbai, the form of captain Rohit Sharma is a matter of concern, who has not been able to perform as expected so far. He managed only three runs in the last match and would be eager to bounce back with a big knock in this match. Team Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Arshdeep Singh, Baltej Singh, Rahul Chahar, Sam Curran, Rishi Dhawan, Nathan Ellis, Gurnoor Brar, Harpreet Brar, Harpreet Singh, Vidwath Kaverappa, Liam Livingstone, Mohit Rathi, Prabhsimran Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, M Shahrukh Khan, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Singh, Mathew Short, Sikandar Raza, Atharva Tayde. Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Jofra Archer, Arshad Khan, Jason Behrendorff, Dewald Brewis, Piyush Chawla, Tim David, Raghav Goyal, Cameron Green, Ishan Kishan, Dwayne Johnson, Chris Jordan, Kumar Karthikeya, Akash Madhwal, Riley Meredith , Shams Mulani, Ramandeep Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Hrithik Shokeen, Tristan Stubbs, Arjun Tendulkar, Tilak Verma, Vishnu Vinod, Nehal Wadhera, Suryakumar Yadav. The match will start at 7:30 pm Indian time.
