Mumbai will be hoping to return to winning ways when they take on Punjab in a highly-anticipated IPL 2024 match in Mullanpur on Thursday. Both MI and PBKS will be looking to get their campaign back to winning ways after having won only 2 of their first 6 matches. Both MI and PBKS are reeling in the bottom half of the points table, having had a rough start to their campaign.
All eyes will be on Hardik Pandya and the reception he will be getting at the newly-built Mullanpur stadium. The new MI captain has been subject to a hostile reception from fans, even at the Wankhede Stadium – MI’s home ground. It has, according to pundits, affected Hardik’s performance on the field. MI have traditionally been slow starters, but time is running out for the 5-time champions who are in desperate need of a win to overturn their fortunes.
MI are heading into the match after losing to CSK in the much-anticipated IPL Clasico by 20 runs on Sunday while PBKS were unable to defend 147 against Rajasthan in their previous home game on Saturday.
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MI have no shortage of firepower, but the Hardik Pandya-led side has failed to click as a unit. While their batting has fired, their bowling unit has been too dependent on Jasprit Bumrah, their leading wicket-taker in IPL 2024. Questionable tactics have also been one of the reasons for MI’s below-par showing so far in the 2024 season.
“I have known Hardik for a decade, and nothing much has changed. He is a really tough guy, and something like this is only going to motivate him,” spinner Shreyas Gopal said on the eve of the contest in Mullanpur.
“The way he has taken it so far is very inspiring for a lot of us. Although it’s not easy to take it daily, he is strong and kudos to him. He has not let it affect him personally. But, it will probably be there in his head,” he added.
On the other hand, PBKS have looked under-par in both batting and bowling departments with their big guns, including Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow and Arshdeep Singh failing to fire. Punjab will be without Shikhar Dhawan for the second successive time as the regular skipper has been dealing with a shoulder injury.
PBKS VS MI: IPL Head-to-Head
This will be the first time Mumbai will be playing in Mullanpur. The two sides have met 31 times in the IPL and their head-to-head record is too close. MI have a slender edge, having won 16 of their meetings.
PBKS vs MI: TEAM NEWS
Punjab need a lot of thinking to get their combination right, considering an array of players, who are struggling for form. Barring Shashank Singh an Ashutosh Sharma, two of their uncapped players, none of the others have been able to make an impact. Opener Prabhsimran Singh has managed just 119 runs in 6 games while wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma, who is in contention for the T20 World Cup, has hit 119 runs in 6 matches.
Jonny Bairstow has struggled to put bat to ball in what has been a disappointing campaign for him so far. PBKS might want to give a go to Rilee Russow at the top on Thursday. Only Sam Curran and Kagiso Rabada have been able to come up with respectable performances as PBKS’s overseas stars have failed to live up to the billing so far.
MI, on the other hand, might bring in Sri Lankan slinger Nuwan Thushara in place of Romario Shepherd or Mohammad Nabi to bolster their bowling line-up.
PBKS vs MI: Mullanpur Pitch Conditions and Weather Forecast
While their last game against RR on Saturday saw rain interruptions, Thursday is expected to be cloudy in Mullanpur. However, there are no chances of rain affecting the game.
Mullanpur has offered a pitch that has been good for both bowling and batting, unlike the roads that the likes of Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Mumbai have produced in IPL 2024. Two of three matches here have been won by the chasing team. However, 182 is the highest total posted in Mullanpur so far in IPL 2024 and SunRisers successfully defended the total, albeit by only 2 runs.
PBKS vs MI: PREDICTED XIs AND IMPACT SUBS
PBKS: Rilee Russow, Atharva Taide, Sam Curran (C), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shashank Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada.
Impact Sub: Rahul Chahar.
MI: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (C), Tim David, Mohammad Nabi, Shreyas Gopal, Gerald Coetzee, Jasprit Bumrah, Nuwan Thushara, Akash Madhwal.
Impact sub: Suryakumar Yadav.