Kings XI Punjab face Mumbai Indians in match 36 of IPL 2020 in Dubai, in the second of the two games on a super Sunday. Both teams are sitting polar opposite to each other in the points table. Mumbai is comfortably placed at the second position with 12 points, while Punjab is languishing at the bottom with four points in eight games. Both teams are coming into this game with wins under their belt. However, that doesn’t take away the fact that Mumbai is the stronger of the two teams. More about the KXIP vs MI match preview in detail below.
Kings XI Punjab managed a win somehow in their previous game against RCB. Chris Gayle made a winning return to the team, however, the problem still lies with the team. Punjab has made a losing habit this season throwing games away from a potentially good position. They have lost three close games against DC, RR and KKR. Also, barring their top-order including KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, none of the other batsmen have not made any substantial contribution for the team. Gayle’s inclusion thus came at the right time, adding more steel to their top-order. Nicholas Pooran too has showed his promise, playing key innings for his team. However, their big-money buy Glenn Maxwell has been a big disappointment so far. It’s a case of so near yet so far, because they’ve just not been able to close out games.
Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab Round 2
Their bowling has blown hot and cold so far this season. Mohammed Shami has taken 12 wickets but failed to get any support from the other pacers in the team. Murugan Ashwin and Ravi Bishnoi have done a good job of tieing down batsmen in the middle-overs. With six more games to go in the league stage, Punjab finds them in a must-win territory in the remaining games and their big test starts with Mumbai tonight.
Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, with every win has gone from strength to strength. The depth of the squad has been remarkable and the consistency with which they have been closing down games is immaculate. Potentially, there is no chink in the armour for the four-time IP champions. Rohit Sharma and Quinton De Kock has been giving their team regular starts, their power-hitters finishing the game off and their bowlers taking wickets. Its a complete process that the team has followed which is why they have been so successful. Against Punjab, they have another chance to continue their domination.
Also Read: IPL 2020: Match 36- Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab- Fantasy Tips
Head to Head
Out of the 25 games played between both teams, Mumbai Indians have won 14 games, while KXIP 11. Mumbai managed to beat Punjab by 48 runs when both teams met in the first leg in Abu Dhabi.
Pitch & Weather Conditions
Pitches have started slowing down in Dubai in the second phase in the league stage. Scores in between 160 to 170 have been par on this wicket, however, Mumbai had made a habit of reaching 200 batting first. In the last game, MI skipper Rohit Sharma said that he doesn’t mind chasing as he believes that will be the norm in the second half. However, despite how the captains think, toss will be vital given that dew has not been a regular factor in the games so far.
Team News
Rohit Sharma said in the last game that James Pattinson was rested to manage his workload. His replacement Nathan Coulter-Nile did not have a good outing though as he went for 50 against KKR. With Mumbai looking to rest some players, there could be changes in the line-up.
KXIP played with both Gayle and Maxwell in the line-up, although the latter wasn’t required with the bat in the last game. They have made constant changes in their playing XI, which is why its difficult to predict the line-up of their side. Bowling wise, they would like to add an extra off-spinning option, given that Mumbai have three left-handed batters in their top 7.
Squads
Mumbai Indians
Rohit Sharma(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Dhawal Kulkarni, Saurabh Tiwary, James Pattinson, Aditya Tare, Mitchell McClenaghan, Chris Lynn, Jayant Yadav, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Mohsin Khan, Sherfane Rutherford, Digvijay Deshmukh, Prince Balwant Rai
Kings XI Punjab
KL Rahul(w/c), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Deepak Hooda, Chris Jordan, Murugan Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Karun Nair, Krishnappa Gowtham, James Neesham, Sheldon Cottrell, Hardus Viljoen, Jagadeesha Suchith, Ishan Porel, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Tajinder Singh, Darshan Nalkande, Simran Singh, Harpreet Brar, Sarfaraz Khan
Also Read: IPL 2020: Teams Batting Second Will Win Most Of The Games -Rohit Sharma
