Mumbai Indians have come into this match, having notched up a six-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore
R Ashwin
A controversy-laden first two games at their back, Kings XI Punjab will look to exploit familiar conditions in their first home match of the IPL when they take on Mumbai Indians here today.
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It has been a roller-coaster ride for KXIP, having to endure a controversy involving their captain Ravichandran Ashwin who 'Mankaded' Rajasthan Royals batsman Jos Buttler in their first match, an act which was legal but criticised by some as against the 'Spirit of Cricket'.
In their second game against Kolkata Knight Riders, Ashwin's team was penalised for not keeping four men in the 30-yard circle and Andre Russell made full use of the reprieve to take the game away from KXIP.
Mumbai Indians have come into this match, having notched up a six-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore, with India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah stamping his class. For Mumbai, Rohit Sharma (48 off 33 balls) and Hardik Pandya's 14-ball 32 stood out as they set up a target of 188 for RCB to chase. Bumrah impressed against RCB, returning with figures of 4-0-20-3.
Key players to watch out for:
Chris Gayle: The West Indies legend is in scintillating form so far this year in the IPL 2019. In the 2 matches he has played so far, Chris Gayle has given near perfect starts in both matches, including a quickfire knock of 79 in the opening match. If Chris Gayle fires from the word go against Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab will surely get a big score on board.
Rohit Sharma: The Mumbai Indians skipper has made it clear that he will be opening the batting for the team in all IPL matches this year. The prolific Indian opener had had to bat in the middle-order in previous IPL editions to add meat to the batting line-up. But today, against KXIP, If Rohit Sharma gets off to a good start, Mumbai Indians most definitely can chase down any target set by the Kings XI Punjab.
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