Mumbai Indians (MI) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) will take center stage in the 31st match of the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday, April 22, at the Wankhede Stadium. Mumbai did not have a great start to the season and lost their first two games. However, they have come back strongly, winning their next three games.
Check here 👉 Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings, Match 31- Live Cricket Score
In MI’s previous encounter against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Cameron Green (64* runs off 40 balls and 29 for 1) put up an all-round show and helped his team register a 14-run win. Riding on the momentum, Rohit Sharma & Co. would look to put up a complete performance in the forthcoming clash and extend their winning streak.
Here’s Mumbai Indians’ predicted XI against Punjab Kings
Openers: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk)
Ishan Kishan. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Rohit Sharma has been a bankable name in the cash-rich league. He has featured in 232 IPL matches and accumulated 6014 runs at a strike rate of 130.03. Besides his batting might, the veteran batter is a brilliant captain and has guided Mumbai to five IPL titles.
Besides Rohit, Mumbai have Ishan Kishan in the opening slot. He has been a marauder with the bat and destroyed bowling attacks with his swashbuckling stroke play. The wicketkeeper-batter has featured in 80 IPL games and hammered 2039 runs at a strike rate of 133.36.
Kishan has been quite magnificent with the bat in IPL 2023. He has taken the attack to the opposition right from ball one and smashed 169 runs in five games at a strike rate of 145.68. The Southpaw would look to put up a show with the bat in the upcoming game.
Middle-Order: Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, Tim David
Tilak Varma.(Photo source: BCCI/IPL)
Mumbai Indians have Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, and Tim David in the middle order. Suryakumar has been a game-changer with the bat and has left the cricket fraternity in awe of his batting exploits. He would look to show his class against Punjab.
Coming to Tilak, the youngster has lighted IPL 2023 with his performances. He has blasted 214 runs in five games at a strike rate of 158.51. Given the kind of form the Southpaw is in, it would not be a surprise if he stakes a claim to win the Orange Cap of the ongoing season.
Nehal is one of the promising batters in the Indian domestic circuit. He would look to put his best foot forward in the ongoing IPL season. Talking about David, the ace batter is known to decimate bowling units with his power-hitting might. He would be counted upon to finish games for the Mumbai side.
All-rounder: Cameron Green
Cameron Green and Tim David. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Cameron Green is an up-and-coming talent from Australia’s cricketing circles. He has put up an exhibition of his flamboyant stroke play and taken top-quality attacks to the cleaners. Also, the 23-year-old has been superb with the ball and provided timely breakthroughs to his side.
Mumbai Indians left no stone unturned to sign Cameron Green at the IPL 2023 auction, and eventually, they acquired him for an insane tally of INR 17.5 crore. In the clash against SRH, the ace all-rounder displayed his all-round prowess and stamped his authority on the cricket field.
Green knocked the wind out of the potent Hyderabad bowling attack and smashed 64* runs off 40 deliveries. Then on the bowling front, he conceded just 29 runs in four overs and dismissed Aiden Markram. The ace all-rounder would look to play in the same vein in the clash on Saturday.
Bowlers: Piyush Chawla, Arjun Tendulkar, Jason Behrendorff, Riley Meredith
Arjun Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Mumbai have the services of Piyush Chawla on the spin-bowling front. Piyush has been a prominent figure in the lucrative T20 tournament and bagged 164 wickets in 170 matches at an economy of 7.86. He has been magnificent in IPL 2023 and bagged seven wickets in five outings.
Talking about Mumbai’s fast-bowling stocks, they have Arjun Tendulkar in their arsenal. Arjun has shown glimpses of brilliance with the ball in his two IPL outings. The left-arm pacer would look to build on to the performance and weave magic with the ball against PBKS.
Moreover, Mumbai have gun overseas seamers Jason Behrendorff and Riley Meredith in the mix. Behrendoff is known to trouble batters with his swing and would be entrusted to set the tone with the ball. Meredith, on the hand, is known to rattle with his express pace and is likely to be used as an enforcer in the middle phases of the innings. MI would also want the speedster to deliver the goods at the death.
Mumbai Indians (MI) probable XI:
Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, Tim David, Arjun Tendulkar, Piyush Chawla, Jason Behrendorff, Riley Meredith
Mumbai Indians (MI) probable impact players:
Hrithik Shokeen, Vishnu Vinod, Shams Mulani, Sandeep Warrier, Ramandeep Singh