The two teams placed at the bottom of the standings – Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians – will look to make a move up the ladder when they clash against each other in Match 35 of Pepsi IPL 2015.
KXIP have their task cut out. With just two wins from eight matches so far, the team is faced with a straightforward equation; win the remaining matches to stay in contention for a Playoff spot, or fall out of the race. A major reason for the team’s dismal run this season is they have struggled to find a combination that can do the job for them. It will be interesting to see if KXIP resist calls from all and sundry to get Glenn Maxwell back in their mix; the Australian is the team’s biggest match-winner, but has only scored 62 runs from 46 balls in five innings this season and has been left to warm the benches in the last few matches.
For the Mumbai Indians, it has been a story similar to last season’s. They started slowly yet again – losing their first four matches on the bounce, but have started to gather steam at a time when teams are scrambling for points. For the first time this season, MI head into a match with consecutive wins under their belt. They defeated the Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 25, and most recently brought out perhaps their best all-round performance this season, that resulted in an 8-run victory over the Rajasthan Royals. MI are slightly better off compared to KXIP, but they will be aware that they cannot afford to slip any more, for that will make their task of qualifying for the Playoffs that much more difficult.
When
03 May 2015, 4p.m. IST
Where
Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali
The Protagonists
KXIP need runs, and they will take it however they come. Apart from the skipper George Bailey, the only other player in the KXIP ranks who has been among the runs consistently is David Miller. The team will need the South African batsman to not only score runs, but also score them in a manner so it dents the confidence of the opposition. So far in the Pepsi IPL 2015, the left-hander has scored 166 runs at a strike-rate of 114.48 – which pales in comparison to his career strike-rate of 137.34.
The Mumbai Indians will look towards their captain Rohit Sharma to play a big knock. The 28-year old is the team’s best batsman, and has had starts in each of his last five outings. But given the situation his team finds itself in, he will be aware that he needs to start converting those breezy knocks to possibly big match-winning efforts.
Previous Meetings
Kings XI Punjab have a slight edge over Mumbai Indians where previous meetings between the two teams are concerned. Off the 15 IPL matches between the two teams, KXIP have won 8, while MI have won the remaining 7.
It was against MI that KXIP opened their account in Pepsi IPL 2015. In the match between the two teams in Mumbai on April 12, KXIP posted 177 runs on the board riding on skipper George Bailey’s unbeaten 61 and then destroyed the hosts’ batting lineup, reducing them to 59 for 6. Harbhajan Singh lit up the Wankhede Stadium with a few big hits late in the run-chase, and his 100-run partnership with J Suchith gave MI some respectability. MI still fell 18 runs short.
Trivia
Kings XI Punjab are yet to win a match at home in Pepsi IPL 2015; they played 3 matches in Pune and one match in Mohali, but haven’t realised any points from those matches.
KXIP have batted their twenty overs in each of their last three matches, but have only managed an aggregate of 343 runs from sixty overs at a run rate of 5.72. KXIP have the slowest scoring rate of all the teams in Pepsi IPL 2015 – 7.29.
What Next
KXIP head southwards – to Bengaluru - after this match, for their away match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, scheduled for May 6. Mumbai Indians meanwhile head back home to host Delhi Daredevils on May 5.
