What

Match 21 of VIVO IPL 2017 will see Kings XI Punjab clash with the Mumbai Indians.

KXIP began the tournament with two wins before losing their next three fixtures. In their most recent outing, they were one stroke away from a win when they were bowled out; against Sunrisers Hyderabad, they got to 154 in pursuit of a target of 160. They are back on home turf, and will take plenty of confidence knowing they are unbeaten in home territory.

The Mumbai Indians started the season with a defeat to Rising Pune Supergiant. Since then, they have stitched together four consecutive wins – each one of the coming in run-chases. Having played three matches in five days – which included an away match in Bengaluru, MI must have looked forward to the three-day break they have enjoyed post the win against the Gujarat Lions. The team will be recharged and motivated to extend their winning streak.

When

20 April 2017, 2000 Hrs IST

Where

Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore

The Protagonists

KXIP’s Manan Vohra is among the young Indian batsmen who have impressed this season; the 23-year old opener enthralled with his 95 against Sunrisers Hyderabad the other night. He used to play the supporting role in the previous season, but this season he has often been the first to step on the accelerator; the youngster is striking the ball well and will look to cash in on his good form. Glenn Maxwell is among the most-destructive batsmen in the KXIP ranks; the skipper has had two good hits this season – both coming in matches in Indore – and he will look to cause some destruction with the bat.

Nitish Rana is the Mumbai Indians’ top run-getter; the team has given the left-hander the crucial number three position on a couple of occasions, and the youngster has responded with half-centuries on both occasions. MI will hope the 23-year old can continue to score runs through the rest of the season. The return to form of Rohit Sharma – who was dismissed for single-digit scores in the first four matches – augurs well for MI too. Among others, keep an eye on the Pandya brothers – who cannot not come up with something magical on the field.

Match within the match

Harbhajan Singh’s economy rate against left-hand batsmen this season reads an impressive 4.84. In this match, he could come across two dangerous left-handers – Eoin Morgan and David Miller. Will the experienced off-spinner be able to keep them quiet?

Head to Head

Overall: Matches played – 18, Kings XI Punjab won – 9, Mumbai Indians won – 9

Trivia

LasithMalinga has played 11 matches against Kings XI Punjab, and he has never gone wicketless in any of those matches; in all, he has 22 wickets against KXIP at an average of 14.23.

The Mumbai Indians have realised the most runs from the middle order (Nos. 5,6,7) than any other team this season; MI’s Nos. 5, 6 & 7 have contributed to the extent of 310 runs, which account to 39% of the team’s runs.

What Next

For Kings XI Punjab: Away fixture against Gujarat Lions, 23 April (4pm IST)

For Mumbai Indians: Home fixture against Delhi Daredevils, 22 April (8pm IST)