Mumbai desperate to open their account as Punjab challenge looms

Mumbai Indians will be back in action as they take on the Punjab Kings for a blockbuster Wednesday-night encounter. Both the teams will be desperate to strike the right chord of balance that can set their campaign on the right track.

For Mumbai, it will be desperation at its peak as they are yet to register their opening win of the tournament. The five-times champions have seen their batting crumble like a house of cards with Suryakumar Yadav being the lone warrior, chiming in with his crucial knocks that would command respect.

Punjab, on the contrary, will have concerns over their bowling, but their strength lies in an exceptionally deep batting order that stars six intimidating strikers of the cherry. For the Kings, it is all about the classical aspect of the format, where their batters do not know when to stop.

Mumbai has been enmeshed in an inexplicable bowling muck-up where everyone in their ranks has struggled to find their stride. More importantly, Jasprit Bumrah, the man whom they had pinned all their hopes on, has misfired so far.

With the persistent struggles for both the contingencies, this will be a rambunctious stramash to witness as desperation will be surging high through the hearts of both the contenders, jousting for supremacy. This can very well evolve into a maddening hustle of a slew of big-hitters of the leather with a man in blue whose precision is deadly enough to topple empires.

Venue Watch:

This surface at Pune has always been inclined towards the batters and more importantly, the teams chasing has savoured a slight edge with two wins coming from the last three games. So far, Gujarat Titans is the only side that would manage to win batting first on the surface as they bested an ailing Delhi Capitals. Despite being inclined to the batters, the absence of dew in the last three games has made this surface equally conducive for both the departments plying their trade.

Squads:

Mumbai Indians:

Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan, Ramandeep Singh, Rahul Buddhi, Hrithik Shokeen, Arjun Tendulkar, Aryan Juyal, Fabian Allen, Dewald Brevis, Basil Thampi, M Ashwin, Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande, Tilak Varma, Sanjay Yadav, Riley Meredith, Mohd Arshad Khan, Anmolpreet Singh

Punjab Kings:

Mayank Agarwal, Shikhar Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Shahrukh Khan, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Porel, Liam Livingstone, Odean Smith, Sandeep Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Vaibhav Arora, Nathan Ellis, Atharva Taide, Benny Howell, Arshdeep Singh

Match Details:

Mumbai Indians vs Punjab

Venue: Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune

Date: 13th April 2022

Time: 7:30 PM IST