PBKS vs MI Preview: Punjab, Mumbai eye third win

Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 rolls on as Punjab Kings (PBKS) host Mumbai Indians (MI) on Thursday, April 18 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur.

Punjab have two wins and four losses from six games and are stationed at No. 7 on the points table. Mumbai also has an identical win-loss record in IPL 2024 but is placed at No. 8 due to an inferior net run rate (NRR).

Punjab is coming off a three-wicket defeat against Rajasthan Royals. Meanwhile, Mumbai is also coming off a 25-run loss against Chennai Super Kings. Both teams would want to register a win and stay within touching distance of the top four.

The Kings will be missing the services of Shikhar Dhawan. The veteran will miss at least a week’s action due to a shoulder injury as Sam Curran will be leading the side in his absence. PBKS fans will want more from Jonny Bairstow at the top of the order. The likes of Arshdeep Singh and Kagiso Rabada have bowled well but Harshal Patel has been a pale shadow of his former self.

Mumbai Indians have got off to some blistering starts with the bat thanks to the destructive duo of Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan. The former scored a century in the last game against Chennai. Jasprit Bumrah and Gerald Coetzee have done well with the ball and would love to get more support from their fellow teammates. Skipper Hardik Pandya has received criticism for his performances with the bat and ball. He would want to silence his naysayers with a solid outing against PBKS.

Head to Head

These two teams have faced each other on 31 occasions. The Kings have won 14 times, while Mumbai have won 16. One game ended in a no result.

Pitch Report

In the three IPL 2024 encounters played at this venue thus far, the average first-innings total has been 168. Only one out of the three games has been won by the team batting first. Run-scoring hasn’t been easy at this venue as batters have had to give themselves a little bit of time in the middle to get accustomed to the sluggish nature of the surfaces.

Probable Playing XI

Punjab Kings: Jonny Bairstow, Atharva Taide, Prabhsimran Singh, Sam Curran (C), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Shashank Singh, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Impact Sub – Ashutosh Sharma

Mumbai Indians: Ishan Kishan (WK), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Mohammad Nabi, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Gerald Coetzee, Shreyas Gopal, Jasprit Bumrah Impact Sub – Akash Madhwal