IPL 2024, Match 33: Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians Match Preview

Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Mumbai Indians (MI) are set to collide in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on Thursday, April 18, at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur.

Both teams have won two games and lost four out of the six they have played so far this season. Punjab Kings are positioned at No. 7 on the points table, while Mumbai Indians are at No. 8. Both teams are coming off losses and would be desperate to turn their campaigns around.

Punjab's two wins have come against Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans. They lost their last two matches by narrow margins. In their most recent encounter against Rajasthan Royals, the Kings failed to defend a 148-run target as the inaugural champions won by three wickets with one ball to spare.

For Punjab, the batting department has failed to click as a unit. Jonny Bairstow was expected to play a crucial role at the top but the England wicketkeeper-batter has scored just 96 runs from six innings at an average of 16. Prabhsimran Singh has looked in good nick but he has thrown his wickets away after getting positive starts. The likes of Sam Curran and Jitesh Sharma haven't lived up to their potential as yet. The two batting heroes for PBKS this season have been Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma. The Two players have played a few vital cameos down the order.

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The bowling department has fared much better compared to last season. Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh have nine wickets each after playing all six games at averages of 21.22 and 22.78 respectively. Curran has also chipped in with eight wickets from six games at 19. However, Harshal Patel's form would be a cause of concern as he has conceded runs at an economy rate of 10.55.

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Mumbai Indians lost their first three matches after Hardik Pandya took charge this season. However, the five-time champions bounced back with consecutive wins against Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. In their last encounter, Mumbai once again tasted defeat as they lost to arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings by 20 runs, chasing a target of 207.

Former captain Rohit Sharma is the top run-getter for Mumbai in the ongoing season. He has scored 261 runs from six matches at an average of 52.20 and a strike rate of 167.31. Ishan Kishan has also got some quick starts but he hasn't converted too many of them. Hardik has been disappointing with both bat and ball, with some experts noting that he is playing with an injury.

Jasprit Bumrah is the leading wicket-taker for Mumbai as he has bagged 10 wickets from six matches at an average of 14.60. He has been given good support by Gerald Coetzee, who has picked up nine wickets at 25.67. However, Akash Madhwal, who was impressive with his death-over bowling last season, hasn't been able to find his radar after picking up three wickets against Rajasthan Royals early on in the tournament. The 30-year-old has an economy rate of 10.60.

Click Here: PBKS vs MI Live Score, Match 33

Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium Pitch Report and Conditions

The pitches at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium haven't been ideal for free-flowing batting. In the last game, the wicket was quite slow as both teams struggled to score quickly. The Royals huffed and puffed their way to the 148-run target. Three games have been played at this venue in IPL 2024 so far. The average first-innings score is 168. Two games have been won by chasing teams. The captain who wins the toss could opt to bowl first and assess the conditions.

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Probable Playing XI

Punjab Kings (PBKS)

Punjab Kings will be once again missing the services of their regular captain Shikhar Dhawan as Sam Curran will continue leading the side. The former India opener has been sidelined with a shoulder injury and Head of Cricket Development for PBKS, Sanjay Bangar, said after the last match that he could be out of action for a week or even more. Atharva Taide played in place of Dhawan in the last game. PBKS could be going with an unchanged XI against MI.

Predicted XI: Jonny Bairstow, Atharva Taide, Prabhsimran Singh, Sam Curran (C), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Shashank Singh, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada

Impact Player: Ashutosh Sharma

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Mumbai Indians (MI)

Mumbai Indians do not generally tinker too much with their playing XI as the tournament approaches the business end. They have played the same XI in their last two matches and the former five-time champions could retain the same team once again.

Predicted XI: Ishan Kishan (WK), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Mohammad Nabi, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Gerald Coetzee, Shreyas Gopal, Jasprit Bumrah

Impact Player: Akash Madhwal

Head-to-Head Record