The 17th match of IPL 2021 will be played between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians from 7:30 pm today at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians lost their previous match against Delhi Capitals due to the poor batting performance.
The defending champions would like to forget that defeat and make a solid comeback tonight. However, weak middle order is the biggest concern for Mumbai.
On the other hand, Punjab Kings' batting lineup is strong but barring Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, no other batsman has been able to deliver so far. Also, Punjab's bowlers have so far not been unable to come up with anything special. 'Universe Boss' Chris Gayle's is yet to fire with his bat.
Punjab's morale must have been diminished after three consecutive defeats. Now the team will aim to bounce back immediately or else it will become difficult for them to qualify for the IPL 2021 playoffs.
IPL 2021, PBKS vs MI Pitch Report: The pitch of Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium is behaving differently this year. The pitch, which is usually favorable for spinners, has been very different this year. This year the pitch here is getting very slow in the second innings. Dew plays a very important factor at night. Looking at the pitch, the team that wins the toss can most likely decide to bat first.
IPL 2021, MI vs PBKS: Mumbai has an upper hand in this match. In both the batting and bowling department, Mumbai Indians look stronger than the Punjab Kings. Punjab will most probably face its fourth consecutive defeat tonight.
Predicted playing XI of Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (captain), Quinton Dickock (wicketkeeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kiran Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Nathan Coulter Nile, Jaspreet Bumrah and Trent Boult.
Predicted playing XI of Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (captain and wicketkeeper), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Puran, Deepak Hooda, Moises Henriques, Shah Rukh Khan, Fabian Allen, M Ashwin, Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh.