Advertisemen
IPL 2018, MI vs KXIP: Mumbai's match in Punjab today, losing will be played out of the playoffs ...
Rohit Sharma's match against Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2018 Kings XI Punjab, captained by Ashwin For both teams battling poor form, this match will be the last chance to save survival in the tournament. If Mumbai lose in this match, then there will be a break on his chances of entering the playoffs. On the other hand, Punjab's prospects will also have a bad effect in the event of defeat.
After three consecutive defeats, Mumbai's hopes of reaching the playoff were strengthened after winning three matches, but the defeat achieved by Rajasthan Royals on Sunday proved to be fatal for them. Mumbai are now in sixth position, winning five out of 12 matches, while Punjab are in fifth place with 12 points after facing fourth defeat in five matches.
Mumbai will have to do their best in this match after forgetting the defeat from the roles. On the other hand, the Punjab, which has started the splendid innings, has lost its rhythm in the middle and it has to bear its brunt. Even in the last match, Mumbai's middle-order batsmen, including captain Rohit Sharma, have failed miserably.
So far only Suryakumar Yadav has been able to perform well. West Indies opener Ewan Lewis has been relieved to return to the form and he will be expected to start the innings well. After this, however, the rest of the batsmen have to play their role. Rohit Royals could not make a comeback against the Challengers Bangalore. Mumbai will be expected to perform better than him and Pandya brothers Hardik and Krupal.
Mumbai's bowling is also a matter of concern. Jaspreet Bumrah, Hardik and Mitchell McClenaghan will have to bowl in cleverly to curb Chris Gayle and K L Rahul's bats. The Punjab team is struggling with poor form in the second leg of the league and it has to improve performance in all the departments. Both Rahul and Gayle were dismissed by Umesh Yadav on a short ball yesterday. Rahul could have scored 21 runs, while the centenary of this season Gayle's bat did not even go.
The entire team was out for 88 runs, which is their minimum score in this session. Punjab has suffered a blow due to injuries to leg-spinner Mujibur Rahman of Afghanistan. In this case, Ashwin and Akshar Patel will have additional responsibility. After the loss in the previous match, Ashwin said, "We will play with high morale and positive temperament. We have a very experienced player and we have to pay attention to the net run rate. "