Defending champions Mumbai Indians will aim to confirm their ticket to playoffs when they take the field against Kings XI Punjab in the 36th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Rohit Sharma & Co stormed into the top half of the IPL 2020 points table with five straight wins. An explosive batting line-up and a lethal bowling unit make them the most balanced side in this tournament. The latest victims of their onslaught were Kolkata Knight Riders, failing to exhibit anything exemplary despite a change in leadership.
The MI line-up has been right in the money, especially after Quinton de Kock returned among runs. The middle-order is studded with some strong names like Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan and Kieron Pollard.
Then comes the bowling unit which has been impeccably handled by the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult and James Pattinson. Spinner Rahul Chahar has been doing a superb job with the ball to keep the opposition at bay.
On the other side of the ring stand Kings XI Punjab who got the Chris Gayle boost in their previous match against RCB. They continue to languish at the bottom of the table despite having the top-two leading run-getters of the tournament in skipper KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal. At the same time, their bowling hasn’t fired on most occasions and it remains the biggest concern.
Barring Mohammad Shami and Ravi Bishnoi, none of the bowlers has clicked, especially in the death overs. Despite trying out many options, KXIP have failed to discover the right balance which has also been a reason behind their downfall.
However, the onus of KXIP’s win majorly remains on the shoulders of Rahul, Mayank and Gayle who were terrific the other day in Sharjah.
A win for Mumbai Indians will virtually seal them a spot in the play-offs while a loss for KXIP could send them out of contention.
Source: IPLT20.com