Mumbai Indians have been in rampaging form with five straight wins but can ill afford to be complacent against a Chris Gayle-inspired Kings XI Punjab side in their Indian Premier League game in Dubai on Sunday.
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.
Rohit Sharma and Co have steamrolled opposition teams with an explosive batting line-up complemented by a lethal bowling attack and the latest side to bear their brunt were the Kolkata Knight Riders who suffered an eight-wicket defeat on Friday.
On the other hand, KXIP are languishing at the bottom of the table despite having the top-two leading run-getters of the tournament in skipper KL Rahul (387 runs at a strike rate of 134.84) and his opening partner, Mayank Agarwal (337 runs).
Head-to-head
| Matches | KXIP won | MI won | KXIP win% | MI win% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KXIP vs MI | 25 | 11 | 14 | 44% | 56% |
MI boast of top batsmen such as captain Rohit Sharma (251 runs) and his opening partner Quinton de Kock (269) both of whom are in good touch, while the middle-order is manned by the likes of Suryakumar Yadav (243 runs) and Ishan Kishan (186 runs).
On the bowling front, pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult have formed the most successful pair this IPL with 12 wickets apiece from eight matches so far. Spinner Rahul Chahar chipped in against KKR with two wickets for 18 runs.
KXIP’s problem has been that their batting and bowling have not fired in unison on most occasions. They have not been able to find the right balance despite trying out many options.
But their confidence has been boosted by the return of Gayle. The self-proclaimed ‘Universe Boss’ made his first appearance this IPL with a bang, hitting a 45-ball 53, a knock that was laced with five sixes and a four in the win over former team Royal Challengers Bangalore.
A captivating duel may be in store between Gayle on one side and Bumrah and Boult on the other.
At the same time, KXIP’s bowling could come under the pump. Barring Mohammad Shami and Ravi Bishnoi, none of the bowlers have inspired confidence, especially in the death overs.
Mumbai Indians results
| Match | Day/Date/Time | Venue | Result | Total points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MI vs CSK | 19 Sep, Sat (1930) | Abu Dhabi | MI lost by 5 wickets | 0 |
| KKR vs MI | 23 Sep, Wed (1930) | Abu Dhabi | MI won by 49 runs | 2 |
| RCB vs MI | 28 Sep, Mon (1930) | Dubai | MI lost in Super Over | 2 |
| KXIP vs MI | 1 Oct, Thu (1930) | Abu Dhabi | MI won by 48 runs | 4 |
| MI vs SRH | 4 Oct, Sun (1530) | Sharjah | MI won by 34 runs | 6 |
| MI vs RR | 6 Oct, Tue (1930) | Abu Dhabi | MI won by 57 runs | 8 |
| MI vs DC | 11 Oct, Sun (1930) | Abu Dhabi | MI won by 5 wickets | 10 |
| MI vs KKR | 16 Oct, Fri (1930) | Abu Dhabi | MI won by 8 wickets | 12 |
Kings XI Punjab results
| Match | Day/Date/Time | Venue | Result | Total points for season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DC vs KXIP | 20 Sep, Sun (1930) | Dubai | KXIP lost in Super Over | 0 |
| KXIP vs RCB | 24 Sep, Thu (1930) | Dubai | KXIP won by 97 runs | 2 |
| RR vs KXIP | 27 Sep, Sun (1930) | Sharjah | KXIP lost by 4 wickets | 2 |
| KXIP vs MI | 1 Oct, Thu (1930) | Abu Dhabi | KXIP lost by 48 runs | 2 |
| KXIP vs CSK | 4 Oct, Sun (1930) | Dubai | KXIP lost by 10 wickets | 2 |
| SRH vs KXIP | 8 Oct, Thu (1930) | Dubai | KXIP lost by 69 runs | 2 |
| KXIP vs KKR | 10 Oct, Sat (1530) | Abu Dhabi | KXIP lost by 2 runs | 2 |
| RCB vs KXIP | 15 Oct, Thu (1930) | Sharjah | KXIP won by 8 wickets | 4 |
MI squad
| Batsmen | Bowlers | All-rounders | Wicketkeepers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma | Dhawal Kulkarni | Hardik Pandya | Ishan Kishan |
| Sherfane Rutherford | Jasprit Bumrah | Jayant Yadav | Quinton de Kock |
| Suryakumar Yadav | James Pattinson | Kieron Pollard | Aditya Tare |
| Anmolpreet Singh | Mitchell McClenaghan | Krunal Pandya | |
| Chris Lynn | Rahul Chahar | Anukul Roy | |
| Saurabh Tiwary | Trent Boult | Digvijay Deshmukh | |
| Nathan Coulter-Nile | Prince Balwant Rai Singh | ||
| Mohsin Khan |
KXIP squad
| Batsmen | Bowlers | All-rounders | Wicketkeepers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Gayle | Mohammed Shami | K Gowtham | KL Rahul |
| Mayank Agarwal | Mujeeb ur Rahman | Glenn Maxwell | Nicholas Pooran |
| Karun Nair | Arshdeep Singh | Deepak Hooda | Prabhsimran Singh |
| Sarfaraz Khan | Hardus Viljoen | James Neesham | |
| Mandeep Singh | M Ashwin | Chris Jordan | |
| J Suchith | Tajinder Singh | ||
| Harpreet Brar | |||
| Darshan Nalkande | |||
| Sheldon Cottrell | |||
| Ravi Bishnoi | |||
| Ishan Porel |
Match starts at 19.30 pm IST and will be live on Star Sports network / Disney+ Hotstar
(With PTI and iplt20 inputs)