IPL 2023 Playoffs race intensifies as Mumbai Indians aim to stifle misfiring Punjab Kings

Rajasthan Royals` players celebrate the fall of a wicket (Pic: AFP)

Five-time champions Mumbai Indians' class and pedigree will once again be tested when they take on an unpredictable Punjab Kings in a must-win fixture on Wednesday. A win will give MI the much-needed push on the points table, while a loss will see them slip further and chart a familiar course like the previous edition. MI had finished 10th and last in the previous edition. The side are currently placed seventh with eight points from eight matches and things are not looking great for Rohit Sharma's side.

The win against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium on April 30, though, would have instilled a fair bit of confidence in the team after it chased down a massive 212 with three balls to spare to earn two valuable points. The win was crafted by Singapore-born Australian cricketer Tim David, who smashed three maximums on the trot in the final over during his 14-ball unbeaten 45 to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

While there were vital contributions from India's T20 specialist batter Suryakumar Yadav (55), tall Australian all-rounder Cameron Green (44), Ishan Kishan (28) and Tilak Varma (29 not out), none could match the ferocity of David's strokes. A similar commitment would be required against Punjab Kings, who are known to play aggressive cricket, though their biggest drawback is an unreliable top order.

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Barring Shikhar Dhawan and to an extent his opening partner Prabhsimran Singh, very few PBKS batters have contributed enough to their overall totals, though all that changed in their previous game against Chennai Super Kings on April 30. Set a stiff 200-run target by CSK, the entire top, and middle-order came to the party to win a last-ball thriller by four wickets. With Prabhsimran and Dhawan laying a good foundation in the powerplay, England all-rounder Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, and wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma all chipped in to make it a memorable chase.

Teams (From)

Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Arshdeep Singh, Baltej Singh, Rahul Chahar, Sam Curran, Rishi Dhawan, Nathan Ellis, Gurnoor Brar, Harpreet Brar, Harpreet Singh, Vidwath Kaverappa, Liam Livingstone, Mohit Rathee, Prabhsimran Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, M Shahrukh Khan, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Singh, Matthew Short, Sikandar Raza, Atharva Taide.

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Jofra Archer, Arshad Khan, Jason Behrendorff, Dewald Brevis, Piyush Chawla, Tim David, Raghav Goyal, Cameron Green, Ishan Kishan, Duan Jansen, Chris Jordan, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Riley Meredith, Shams Mulani, Ramandeep Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Hrithik Shokeen, Tristan Stubbs, Arjun Tendulkar, Tilak Varma, Vishnu Vinod, Nehal Wadhera, Suryakumar Yadav

(With PTI inputs)