Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings, IPL 2021, Today Match Prediction 28 September 2021

mi vs pbks Match Prediction & Analysis

Few would have expected the defending champions Mumbai Indians to be in the position that the side finds itself in. As they play the Punjab Kings in the 42nd game of the Indian Premier League, 2021, it is a battle for survival. Mumbai comes into this game after a massive loss against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Punjab Kings on their part would be confident after their win against Sunrisers Hyderabad. 

The Mumbai Indians have looked completely out of gear since the tournament resumed. The side has now lost three games in a row and a loss in this game would make it extremely difficult for them to make it to the next round. The Punjab Kings look a better side, and it will be interesting to see if Mumbai Indians can break away from their poor form.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Mumbai Indians Preview

Rohit Sharma’s side hasn’t been convincing since the start of this year’s IPL. Their performance since the resumption of the tournament has been even worse. They lost the last game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore by 45 runs. The defending champions now sit in the 7th spot on the points table and must win this game to keep their title hopes alive. 

Their batting performance hasn’t been convincing, and the side would need to improve in this department. Quinton de Kock and Sharma must fire at the top for the side to win. Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, and Krunal Pandya’s inconsistency in the middle order is affecting the side’s fate and they must do well. Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard must do the heavy lifting for the side to win here. 

Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah will have to strike early as Punjab Kings have good firepower at the top. Bumrah has failed to bowl tight lines and the side can least afford him leaking runs. Krunal Pandya had done well, and he would expect support from Adam Milne and Rahul Chahar given the lack of depth in their bowling attack.

Top Batsman – Rohit Sharma    
Top Bowler – Trent Boult

 

Mumbai Indians Predicted Playing XI:

Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Ishan Kishan, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult

Mumbai Indians Actual Playing XI:

Nathan Coulter-Nile, Trent Boult, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, SS Tiwary, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Quinton de Kock, Rohit Sharma, SA Yadav

Punjab Kings Preview

KL Rahul’s side pulled off a miraculous win in the last game where they defeated the Sunrisers Hyderabad by 5 runs. The side successfully defended their low total of 125 runs on a tricky surface. Their bowling attack which had so far been inconsistent performed well in the last game. Rahul would be aware of Mumbai’s poor form at the moment and aim for a win here. 

Rahul and Mayank Agarwal have runs under their belt and they would aim for a positive start in this game. The middle-order is power-packed with Chris Gayle, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran in the side, and they would look to add quick runs. The team would also expect runs from the bat of Deepak Hooda and Nathan Ellis who have good hitting abilities. 

Mohammad Shami looks in great form and he would look to add to Mumbai’s batting woes sharing the new ball with Arshdeep Singh in this game. Ravi Bishnoi, Harpreet Brar and Ellis also did well in the last game with the ball and similar show would be expected from them here. 

Top Batsman – KL Rahul    
Top Bowler – Mohammad Shami 

Punjab Kings Predicted Playing XI:

KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Harpreet Brar, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Nathan Ellis, Arshdeep Singh

Punjab Kings Actual Playing XI:

Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Chris Gayle, Mohammed Shami, Lokesh Rahul, Nicholas Pooran, Mandeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Deepak Hooda, Aiden Markram, Ravi Bishnoi

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

It would be a hot and humid evening at Abu Dhabi September 28, and we expect to see a flat surface where bowlers are likely to find little support and batsmen would be able to play their strokes easily. The side that bats first would need 180 runs on the board to defend it successfully.

Venue Details

Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi has been a paradise for batsmen with a flat surface and a  fast outfield allowing them to score lots of runs. Fast bowlers have found it difficult to bowl here with the track offering them little. Spinners have done well as the ball takes sharp turn causing doubts in the minds of batsmen.

Toss: To Bat

In the last few years, we have witnessed several high-scoring games at this venue. The side batting first usually puts up big scores with the pitch offering little assistance to the bowlers. Hence, the side that wins the toss here would like to bat first.