The Punjab Kings IPL 2021 began with a bang as KL Rahul's men managed to irk out a win from the jaws of defeat against Rajasthan Royals in their first game of the season. Since, then their campaign has gone off track with three losses on the trot. Being shot out for 120 by Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last game, their formidable batting unit hasn't hit the straps, save for Rahul and Mayank Agarwal and the bowling has been below par. Rahul has got two fifties in four games so far but has lacked support from others. It may still be early days in the competition, but the 2014 IPL finalists are in dire need to get their campaign on track as soon as possible.
On the other hand, their opposition are hurting from a defeat of their own and another defeat can be detrimental for the five time champions. Mumbai Indians would like its players to find form and consistency and a match against an under-performing Punjab could well be the beginning. Quinton de Kock is yet to show his actual self this season. He was dismissed cheaply against Delhi Capitals but will be expected to fire against PBKS and give a rollicking start to the team. The big-hitting Nicholas Pooran has three ducks in four innings and it is about time PBKS let him go and bring in Dawid Malan, who is currently the No. 1 T20I batsman in the world. Malan is the ideal contender for PBKS in the middle order. The presence of Jasprit Bumrah makes MI more lethal and his pairing with Boult is menacing. A loss for either teams today can be prove to be big slip going further in the tournament.
MI Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Jayant Yadav/ Jimmy Neesham, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah.
PKS Predicted XI: Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul (capt, wk), Chris Gayle, Dawid Malan, Deepak Hooda, Shahrukh Khan, Jhye Richardson, Jalaj Saxena, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh
