Mumbai Indians (MI) will be desperate to register their first win of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 when they face Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the MCA Stadium on Wednesday. It has been a nightmarish start for MI in the season so far, although they are known for their slow starts. Apart from their batters’ inability to go big, the below-par performance by the bowlers has made things hard. It seems pretty difficult for MI to make a comeback from here as they are placed ninth on the points table but skipper Rohit Sharma would be eager to turn things around, not just for the team but for himself, as well.
Rohit has not been the influential batter that he normally is for his franchise and will have to lead from the front. On the other hand, with two wins and as many losses, PBKS is lying seventh in the standings and comes into the game on the back of a defeat against Gujarat Titans. MI, though, will be up against a quality Punjab attack led by Kagiso Rabada and faces a tricky task against the likes of Rahul Chahar, Vaibhav Arora or Arshdeep Singh.
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The Mumbai bowlers, including Jasprit Bumrah, have not been able to deliver goods so far in the tournament. The current attack comprising leg-spinner Murugan Ashwin, Basil Thampi, and Jaydev Unadkat will have to support Bumrah, who will be keen to recreate his magic. The trio’s 12 overs will be crucial if MI’s fortunes are to change. Ahead of the marquee IPL 2022 clash, we take a look at the three player battles to watch out for.
#1 Ishan Kishan vs Rahul Chahar
After being dismissed by a leg-spinner thrice in his last four encounters, Punjab may tinker with the prospect of pitting Rahul Chahar against MI opener, Ishan Kishan. Chahar has been the side’s leading wicket-taker as he has scalped seven wickets in four matches, while Ishan Kishan has led the run-scorers list for Mumbai with 175 runs from four matches. The southpaw against the leggie will be a cracking contest.
#2 Jasprit Bumrah vs Shikhar Dhawan
Another mouth-watering contest between Shikhar Dhawan and Jasprit will set the tone and perhaps even decide the final outcome. Bumrah hasn’t been among the wickets in IPL 2022. He has three wickets to show in four games, and batters seem happy playing him off and finding the odd boundary. Dhawan has been a busy player in the powerplay, scoring 127 runs from four games at a strike rate of 129.59.
#3 Suryakumar Yadav vs Kagiso Rabada
Punjab will have to bring their A-game as far as their bowling is concerned, and they will be wary of the dangerous form Suryakumar Yadav has been since he has come back from injury. SKY registered scores of 52 and 68* in his last couple of matches and he has looked fluent, flamboyant and dangerous. Rabada has four wickets from three games at an economy rate of 8.60.
