IPL 9, Match 43: Mumbai Indians eager to carry the winning momentum

Shortly after their win against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the Mumbai Indians will face up to the lowly Kings XI Punjab. Following their morale-boosting win at Bengaluru, Mumbai will be aiming to keep their momentum going and solidify their spot in the playoffs. However, the Kings XI, who are already out of the reckoning, will do everything in their power to stop the Mumbai Indians from qualifying. They will face off at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam.

Team News-

Mumbai Indians:

The win against the Royal Challengers Bangalore will be the shot in the arm the Mumbai Indians needed. While the batting and bowling clicked for them, the fielding was something spectacular they displayed. However, playing the Kings XI Punjab at the Visakhapatnam is certainly a much harder proposition for the likes of Rohit Sharma and his band of merry men.

While the Vizag ground is certainly much larger than the one at Bangalore, it would make it much harder for the fielders to make their mark on the game. Ambati Rayudu would be expected to play the similar sort of innings he played against the Challengers while the likes of Jos Buttler and Kieron Pollard would be hoping to replicate their heroics. Mitchell McClenaghan will also be expected to pull the bunny out of the hat and put up yet another splendid performance while Hardik Pandya will continue to miss out on first-team action.

Kings XI Punjab:

The Kings XI Punjab and their IPL season have gone from bad to worse. A one-run loss at the hands of the Royal Challengers saw them run out of contention for the playoffs spot. The loss also saw an outburst from co-owner Preity Zinta, something she vehemently denied.

However, controversies aside, having been ousted from the tournament, the Kings will be hoping to test the bench strength. It is also possible that the likes of Farhaan Behardien, Mitchell Johnson, and Nikhil Naik may well find themselves on the side. It is also possible that Manan Vohra may find himself back in the reckoning. However, the spotlight will be on new signing Hashim Amla. The latter, although has accomplished himself on the Test match scene, has become widely known for his T20 batting skills and elegance. Whether he can make a difference in proceedings remains to be seen.

Probable XI-

Mumbai Indians:

Rohit Sharma (C), Parthiv Patel (wk), Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Jos Buttler, Krunal Pandya, Nitish Rana, Mitchell McCelenaghan, Tim Southee, Harbhajan Singh, Jasprit Bumrah

Kings XI Punjab:

Murali Vijay (C), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Marcus Stoinis, David Miller, Manan Vohra, Axar Patel, Hashim Amla, Sandeep Sharma, Rishi Dhawan, Kyle Abbott, Mohit Sharma

StAttack: