Off-colour Mumbai Indians still look too strong for misfiring Punjab Kings
Punjab Kings need to end their losing streak soon, but they will find it tough against the defending champions
Vishal Dikshit
22-Apr-2021
Big picture
Just because a win will take the Punjab Kings to the same points as the Mumbai Indians doesn't mean they are having the same kind of tournament. The Kings have been going down a slippery slope since their last-ball opening-game win against the Rajasthan Royals, and a team like Mumbai could be only one convincing win away from finding their groove even if they aren't looking as scary as they did last year after four games.This will be the last match for both teams in Chennai, and currently, Mumbai are better suited for the slow tracks there with their bowling attack, especially the way Rahul Chahar has been striking regularly. All Mumbai need is a few more hits from their middle order and they will board the flight to Delhi with a 3-2 win-loss record in Chennai.
The Kings have more and deeper issues to address. They were first pummeled in Mumbai and then moved to a spin-heavy attack in Chennai, but a second collapse in four games is a problem they would want to fix quickly. It is mainly their overseas names that aren't living up to expectations, and against the defending champions they will have to pull themselves up a few notches, not just one.
Team news
The Kings' bowling attack hardly bothered the Sunrisers Hyderabad top order on Tuesday. So they may want to bring in a frontline spinner like Ravi Bishnoi, who was their second-highest wicket-taker and their most economical bowler last season.And unless they change the XI, the Kings also have two left-hand batters in Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran, which could mean another game for Mumbai's southpaw specialist Jayant Yadav.
Likely XIs
Punjab Kings: 1 KL Rahul (capt & wk), 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Chris Gayle, 4 Deepak Hooda, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Shahrukh Khan, 7 Moises Henriques, 8 Fabian Allen/Ravi Bishnoi, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 M Ashwin, 11 Arshdeep SinghMumbai Indians: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Rohit Sharma (capt), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Ishan Kishan, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Jayant Yadav, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Jasprit Bumrah
Strategy punt
Stats that matter
Vishal Dikshit is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo