Tata IPL 2023 MI vs PBKS | Mumbai Indians is a name that each Indian cricket fans know. They are the five-time title winner, a record for any team in the Indian Premier League history. Usually, they have a good fanbase. On 23rd April, MI will face Punjab Kings at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. So, the supporters from both teams are excited about the MI vs PBKS match. Here we will discuss the teams, pitch, weather reports and who might win. So, let us start.
MI vs PBKS Team preview:
Mumbai Indians:
Mumbai will be looking to extend their run as they aim for their 4th victory of this season. The team is back at the home ground where they recently defeated Kolkata chasing a target of 186 runs. Ishan’s 58 off 25 balls helped Mumbai gain the benefit in the run chase. Not just that, but their bowlers also bounded the opposition to some extent, not letting KKR score over 190-195. Their bowling is also balanced with experienced players like Chawla and Behrendorff. So, the team is quite prepared for the MI vs PBKS match.
Punjab Kings:
Sam Curran will be pressured to lead the Punjab Kings without the regular skipper Shikhar Dhawan. Although he led them to a win over LSG, it was not convincing. Punjab was close to a victory in their last match against RCB while chasing 175 runs in Mohali. Punjab would have been over the line if they could keep wickets in their favour and not lose Curran to a lazy runout. Jitesh Sharma’s knock in the last match will have given PBKS some confidence in their low order. Though there is Shahrukh Khan, also lower down the order who can play as a finisher, Punjab has been too dependent on the top and the middle order.
MI vs PBKS Playing 11:
Predicted playing 11 for Mumbai Indians:
Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Arjun Tendulkar, Tim David, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Cameron Green, Jason Behrendorff Nehal Wadhera, Hrithik Shokeen, Piyush Chawla,
Predicted playing 11 for Punjab Kings:
Atharva Taide, Matthew Short, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran (c), Arshdeep Singh, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Nathan Ellis, Rahul Chahar,
MI vs PBKS Key players:
Mumbai Indians:
Piyush Chawla has been consistent with this leg break and will be a key bowler for MI again. Rohit Sharma will bring Chawla when PBKS’s Matthew Short is on the crease. He has been dismissed by a leg-break bowler twice in his last three innings and once by a right-arm off-break bowler. Jason Behrendorff will also be expected to show an early breakthrough in the powerplay round when he bowls against Taide.
If Dhawan comes into the side, Arjun will be under pressure to bowl his 2 overs in the powerplay of the MI vs PBKS match. Cameron Green is another dedicated bowler in this lineup. Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma look in fine touch at the top. They will get MI off to a flying start. Suryakumar will also be eager to score some runs at his home venue. The most promising and consistent batter on this side to watch out for is Tilak Verma in the middle order.
Punjab Kings:
If Liam Livingstone continues to be on the side, he will be the key batter to watch out for. After losing four wickets, it seemed as if PBKS were done and dusted, but the last game showed the true potential of Punjab’s lineup.
Arshdeep Singh, Rahul Chahar, and Sam Curran are our top picks in the Punjab bowling attack. Arshdeep has executed his plans perfectly well and will also be key in the death overs. Punjab should consider Rabada over Nathan Ellis if they are to put any pressure on the in-form MI batting lineup.
MI vs PBKS Head to Head:
In the 29 matches, played against each other in IPL history, 15 have been won by Mumbai Indians while the Punjab Kings team have won 14 games.
Players to watch out for
MI: Tilak Varma, Cameron Green, and Arjun Tendulkar.
PBKS: Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, and Sam Curran
MI vs PBKS Weather & pitch report:
The bowlers with the new ball can enjoy a bit of movement and swing in the 1st innings, but the pitch gets more favourable for batting as the match progresses. Both spinners and pacers are known to extract some help from the surface of the pitch. It offers a good contest between ball and bat and promises exciting T-20 encounters. It is going to be a sunny day in Mumbai with a temperature of 32 degrees Celsius.
MI vs PBKS Match prediction:
Punjab has a good bonding among all the players. They have a balance under skipper Dhawan, but MI is more stable and can defend the team with experience and skill. So, on the MI vs PBKS day, Mumbai is few steps forward than Punjab.