03 May,2023 11:18 PM IST | Mohali | mid-day online correspondent
Mumbai Indians (Pic: AFP)
Five-time champions Mumbai Indians' class and pedigree will once again be tested when they take on an unpredictable Punjab Kings in a must-win fixture on Wednesday. A win will give MI the much-needed push on the points table, while a loss will see them slip further and chart a familiar course like the previous edition.
MI had finished 10th and last in the previous edition. The side are currently placed seventh with eight points from eight matches and things are not looking great for Rohit Sharma's side.
The win against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium on April 30, though, would have instilled a fair bit of confidence in the team after it chased down a massive 212 with three balls to spare to earn two valuable points. The win was crafted by Singapore-born Australian cricketer Tim David, who smashed three maximums on the trot in the final over during his 14-ball unbeaten 45 to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
ALSO READ
Cost of SRK's 'skull watch' worn at IPL 2024 final can get you a house in Mumbai
IPL 2024 prize money: Winners, runners-up, orange cap, purple cap and more
AAP student wing workers detained for sloganeering against Kejriwal's arrest
Anushka-Virat to KL-Athiya, B-town actresses who married cricketers!
Speed thrills and excites new pace sensation Mayank Yadav
While there were vital contributions from India's T20 specialist batter Suryakumar Yadav (55), tall Australian all-rounder Cameron Green (44), Ishan Kishan (28) and Tilak Varma (29 not out), none could match the ferocity of David's strokes. A similar commitment would be required against Punjab Kings, who are known to play aggressive cricket, though their biggest drawback is an unreliable top order.
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Arshdeep Singh, Baltej Singh, Rahul Chahar, Sam Curran, Rishi Dhawan, Nathan Ellis, Gurnoor Brar, Harpreet Brar, Harpreet Singh, Vidwath Kaverappa, Liam Livingstone, Mohit Rathee, Prabhsimran Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, M Shahrukh Khan, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Singh, Matthew Short, Sikandar Raza, Atharva Taide.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Jofra Archer, Arshad Khan, Jason Behrendorff, Dewald Brevis, Piyush Chawla, Tim David, Raghav Goyal, Cameron Green, Ishan Kishan, Duan Jansen, Chris Jordan, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Riley Meredith, Shams Mulani, Ramandeep Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Hrithik Shokeen, Tristan Stubbs, Arjun Tendulkar, Tilak Varma, Vishnu Vinod, Nehal Wadhera, Suryakumar Yadav
Wicketkeeper: Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Kishan
Batters: Rohit Sharma (vc), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav
All-rounders: Liam Livingstone (c), Sam Curran, Cam Green
Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Jofra Archer, Rahul Chahar
Mumbai Indians win toss, elect to bowl against Punjab Kings
Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh, Shikhar Dhawan(c), Matthew Short, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Sam Curran, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Cameron Green, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Nehal Wadhera, Jofra Archer, Piyush Chawla, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Arshad Khan
Mumbai Indians outclass Dhawan and Co. after Suryakumar-Ishan's batting masterclass power Rohit Sharma-led side to an emphatic six-wicket win.
10:45 PM: 178/4 (17 Overs)
Mumbai Indians lose their fourth wicket as Ishan Kishan 75 (41) caught by Rishi Dhawan bowled by Arshdeep Singh. PBKS get back into the contest as Mumbai lose a big one.
10:23 PM: 147/2 (14 Overs)
Suryakumar Yadav is currently toying with Punjab Kings bowlers and fielders. He is batting on 60 off 27 balls, his last dot ball was 23 deliveries ago. Mumbai Indians are in complete control at the moment.
10:13 PM: 105/2 (11 Overs)
The game is slowly slipping away from the Punjab Kings as we all know if Suryakumar Yadav keeps on batting like this for a couple of overs, PBKS are well out of this contest.
10:06 PM: 74/2 (9 Overs)
Suryakumar Yadav is in attack mode at the moment as he takes on the leggie Rahul Chahar, the famous sweep-shot of SKY is already witnessed by the fans.
9:55 PM: 54/2 (6 Overs)
Cameron Green gets caught by Rahul Chahar bowled by Nathan Ellis. Mumbai Indians lose their second wicket Green departs, big wicket for the Punjab Kings. Can MI bounce back from this blow? Ishan Kishan is still in the middle batting on 26 off 15 balls.
9:42 PM: 32/1 (4 Overs)
Punjab Kings are on top of the contest at the moment as Mumbai Indians only have runs on the board after 4 overs. Surely, MI would have planned for a fiery start in the powerplay but Rohit Sharma's wicket has changed the scenario fully for them.
9:35 PM: 21/1 (2 Overs)
Cameron Green packs Arshdeep Singh for a boundary. Mumbai Indians need a really good start in the powerplay against PBKS to get things going. Ishan Kishan on the other hand also needs to get going right from ball one.
9:20 PM: 0/1 (0.3 Overs)
Rohit Sharma's lean patch continues, as he gets caught by bowled by Rishi Dhawan. Mumbai Indians off to a horror start in their chase of 215 runs. Cameron Green walks in at number 3 for the Mumbai Indians. PBKS off to dream start.
9:10 PM: Mumbai need 215 runs to win
Punjab have posted a mammoth total of 214 runs after Mumbai Indians won the toss and elected to bowl first in Mohali. Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma were on song tonight with the bat for PBKS.
8:50 PM: 206/3 (19 Overs)
Liam Livingstone is on fire for the Punjab Kings, Mumbai Indians pacer Jofra Archer is taken to the cleaners by his international teammate. Three maximums off three balls in the eighteenth over.
8:35 PM: 151/3 (16 Overs)
Jitesh Sharma has changed the scenario for the Punjab Kings in blink of an eye. He has given Liam Livingstone a very good stage now to free his arms and get the scorecard up as much as possible.
8:20 PM: 115/3 (14 Overs)
Jitesh Sharma takes on Jofra Archer as Mumbai Indians put under some real pressure by the right-hander. The plan is clear from Punjab, Jitesh will go all guns blazing and he is taking on Archer at the moment.
8:10 PM: 95/3 (11 Overs)
Piyush Chawla is on fire! Matthew Short is clean-bowled by the leggie. What a time to take a wicket for his team, just when PBKS were looking to attack the opposition, Chawla hands his skipper an important wicket.
Rohit Sharma introduces Kumar Kartikeya in the attack and he almost gets the wicket of Dhawan, who is dropped by Jofra Archer at backward point. However, Dhawan's good fortune doesn't last long as he is stumped on 30(20) in the next over bowled by Piyush Chawla.
7:59 PM: 58/1 (7 Overs)
Shikhar Dhawan dropped by Jofra Archer on 23, how costly is that going to cost for the Mumbai Indians? PBKS are off to a fine start but the conditions suggest they should aim at least 200 on this wicket.
7:59 PM: 35/1 (4 Overs)
Matthew Short packs Arshad Khan for a maximum over square leg and then for a four at fine leg. Punjab Kings bounce back as Short gets going. Mumbai Indians need to take a wicket to put Punjab under pressure again.
7:43 PM: 17/1 (2 Overs)
Prabhsimran Singh gets caught behind by Ishan Kishan bowled by Arshad Khan. Punjab Kings lose their first wicket very early in the innings and now Matthew Short walks in at number 3.
7:30 PM: Match begins!
Shikhar Dhawan and Prabhsimran Singh open the batting for Punjab Kings as they eye a fiery start in the powerplay. Cameron Green attacks the stumps for Mumbai Indians.
