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Preview: M21 - KXIP vs MI
03 Apr, 2017
Preview: M21 - KXIP vs MI
03 Apr, 2017
What
Match 21 of VIVO IPL 2016 will see Kings XI Punjab pitted against the Mumbai Indians.
KXIP, who have just one win five outings and occupy the floor of the standings, will be hurting from their defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday night. The result aside, the manner in which Sunrisers got those runs should be a cause of concern; the SRH captain David Warner treated the KXIP bowlers with utter disdain and hammered them in his 31-ball 59. The batting line-up has just not clicked for KXIP and that is a huge cause of concern for the team management; the last three occasions KXIP have batted first, they have only managed to post scores of 111-9, 138-8 and 143-6. The KXIP team management is faced with a tricky situation; the captain David Miller hasn’t got runs, and neither has Glenn Maxwell. It remains to be seen how long before the team’s persistence with this power-house middle pays off.
Mumbai Indians have played more matches than the rest of the teams (6), yet have only two wins on the board. The defending champions will be hurting from their defeat in the previous match against the Delhi Daredevils. Captain Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu have been batting well, but there has been little else in terms of support; Parthiv Patel has failed to convert starts, while the established internationals – Jos Buttler and Kieron Pollard – have come good only once so far this season, and Hardik Pandya has had a forgettable season with the bat so far.
When
25 April 2016, 2000 Hrs IST
Where
IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali
Weather
Temperature: Max 30°c, Min 25°c
Humidity: Max 23%
Wind: 11kmph
The Protagonists
Manan Vohra’s scores this season read 38, 32, 51, 8 & 25. Given how little their middle order has contributed so far this season, it is important that the 22-year old realises the need to convert those starts to big scores. His opening partner Murali Vijay has been guilty of the same thing too and KXIP will benefit hugely if one of them bat deep into the innings. Shaun Marsh will be itching to have a crack at MI, for he has an outstanding record against them and is coming off scores of 56* and 40 in his last two outings.
For MI, Rohit Sharma is key to the team’s success. In a tournament – and in a format – where openers have huge influences on teams successes, it is important that Rohit looks at batting the entire innings – like he did in the wins against KKR – or at least well into the second-half like he did against RCB. MI also need their middle-order to be the force they promise to be; Jos Buttler and Kieron Pollard have lofty reputations, but they have so far only scored 98 and 61 runs respectively at a modest strike-rate of 129 and 125.
Head to Head
The head-to-head between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians reads eight wins apiece for both teams. In matches in Mohali too, the honours are shared evenly, with both teams winning three contests each.
Trivia
The KXIP batsman Shaun Marsh has an outstanding record in IPL matches against MI; in nine outings against MI, he has scored 430 runs at an average of 53.75, going past the 50-run mark on five occasions.
Kings XI Punjab have realised more from their Indian players than from their overseas players so far. The Indian players have contributed 434 runs in comparison to an aggregate of 247 runs from overseas players, while the Indian bowlers have picked up 16 wickets in contrast to the 3 wickets picked up by their overseas players.
In the three matches played at Mohali so far this season, the spinners have fared almost as well as the quick bowlers; while the quicks have taken 16 wickets and leaked runs at a rate of 8.35, the spin bowlers have picked up 15 wickets and have conceded runs at an economy rate of 7.19.
In four of their five matches this season, Sandeep Sharma has dismissed one of the opposition openers; his scalps this season include Brendon McCullum, Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Thisara Perera and David Warner.
What Next
Kings XI Punjab will enjoy a 5-day break before they step out for a brief period; their first stop will be Rajkot, where they will take on Gujarat Lions on May 1. The Mumbai Indians meanwhile head back home and prepare for their return fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 28.
