The game 13 of Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 will see Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) take on Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Both the teams pretty much have had a similar result pattern in this tournament, including a Super Over-heartbreak. KXIP has lost their opening game against Delhi Capitals (DC), they followed it up with a win against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) before suffering a defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals (RR). Meanwhile, MI lost the season opener against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) but returned to winning ways, defeating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). However, MI had to encounter their second defeat when they faced RCB.
The Kings have been in fantastic form in the competition and both their losses have been by narrow margins. There ended up on the wrong side of super-over against Delhi Capitals in their first match and failed to seal the match against Rajasthan Royals despite being in a position to dictate terms at one stage.
Kings XI Punjab are currently placed at the fourth spot on the points table with only one win in three matches. Yes, they had been a tad too unlucky, but their over-reliance on Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul hasn't been hidden as well. In the three matches gone so far, Kings' openers have done the bulk of the scoring, and the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, and Karun Nair have failed to contribute.
The potency of their batting lineup is evident from the fact that there have only been two centurions in this edition of IPL so far and both have come from the Kings' camp. On paper, they have Glenn Maxwell, Jimmy Neesham, Karun Nair, and Nicholas Pooran available in their lineup and they all are capable enough to win the match on their own.
While Kings XI Punjab have been brilliant, the results haven't really reflected that. One of the primary reasons for that is their bowling in the slog overs. Barring Mohammad Shami, none of their bowlers managed to execute their plans in the two matches that the Kings lost. Sheldon Cottrell was carted for 30 runs in one over by Rahul Tewatia whereas it was Chris Jordan who was hammered in Kings XI Punjab's match against Delhi Capitals.
Their young spinners have done a terrific job thus far with Ravi Bishnoi taking the charge. Despite getting hit for long ones, Bishnoi hasn't been afraid to toss the ball up and that has been his secret sauce. Murugan Ashwin has played his part to perfection as well. Given the way the two spinners have handled the pressure, they could hold the key against the power-packed batting line-up of Mumbai Indians.
With Jimmy Neesham being the only fast bowler available other than Cottrell and Shami, their death-bowling may well come under the scanner yet again given the potent batting lineup of Mumbai Indians. Along with their openers, Kings XI Punjab desperately need Glenn Maxwell and Nicholas Pooran to contribute with the bat. Also, twice the Kings have failed to keep their nerves under-pressure and it could once again prove to be a deciding factor in the upcoming match. If Kings XI Punjab manage to handle pressure well in the upcoming match, Mumbai Indians will certainly have their work cut out.
In fact, Mumbai Indians have a knack of starting slow and catching up in the back-end of the tournament. As it stands, they are sitting at the fifth spot on the points table and will be looking for a win, which would take them into the top half.
Mumbai Indians appear to be having everything under control. Even though Rohit Sharma failed to fire in the previous match, it wasn't long ago when he smashed a belligerent fifty to take his team to a towering total. Quinton de Kock has looked good with the bat as well as behind the stumps and a good innings is certainly on the cards. However, given that Ishan Kishan announced himself with a fantastic 99-run knock, we might see the South African captain getting replaced by Chris Lynn pretty soon.
With Hardik Pandya not available to bowl, Mumbai Indians appear to be a little thin on fast-bowling variety. There's no doubt that Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, and James Pattinson are all world-class bowlers, MI lacks a fast-bowler who can bowl in the middle-overs. Having said that, not many teams have the luxury and given that Mumbai Indians can imagine having it, speaks volumes about their balance.
On paper, not many teams come close to Mumbai Indians as far as balance is concerned. They have a fantastic batting lineup with an immaculate amalgamation of accumulators and power-hitters.
Weather Forecast
A clear, bright and hot day. It will get better as the sun sets and the temperature is expected to plunge to a low of 29 degrees Celsius from a high of 38 degrees Celsius. No chance of rain whatsoever.
Pitch Report
Hosting its fifth match, the Shaikh Zayed Cricket Stadium outfield is slow, and has a sticky surface with big boundaries, making it difficult for the batsmen to hit boundaries. With four matches already played at the stadium, the pitch has also become slowish and the batsmen are likely to struggle to hit perfectly timed shots. Anything in the range of 165-180 should be a competitive score for the team batting first.
Toss Prediction
The conditions at Abu Dhabi will be better suitable for chasing, and with the dew factor coming into the picture, the captain winning the toss is expected to field first.
Stats and Facts
Head to head: Matches Played: 24
Mumbai Indians: 10
Kings XI Punjab: 10
Approaching Milestones:
Mayank Agarwal needs 13 runs to complete 1500 IPL runs.
KL Rahul requires 26 runs to complete 1500 IPL runs for KXIP.
Rohit Sharma is just 2 runs away from completing 5000 IPL runs.
Suryakumar Yadav needs 2 sixes to complete 50 IPL sixes.
Likely XIs:
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, James Pattinson/Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah.
Kings XI Punjab: KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Glenn Maxwell, Nicholas Pooran, James Neesham, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, M Ashwin, Sheldon Cottrell, Mohammed Shami.
Players to Watch Out For:
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Nathan Coulter-Nile
Kings XI Punjab: KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Glenn Maxwell, Nicholas Pooran, Mohammed Shami
Match Odds:
Mumbai Indians: 1.66
Kings XI Punjab: 2.20
SantaBanta's Winner Prediction: Kings XI Punjab
IPL 2020 Winner Live Odds
Royal Challengers Bangalore - 5.5
Mumbai Indians - 5.5
Kolkata Knight Riders - 6
Delhi Capitals - 6.5
Rajasthan Royals - 7
Chennai Super Kings - 8.5
Sunrisers Hyderabad - 10
Kings XI Punjab - 10
Match Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Time: 7.30 PM IST
TV: Star Sports Network
Live Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar VIP
