PK vs MI Dream11 Team, Probable Playing Xi, Toss, Pitch and Match Preview: Nervous Punjab Kings to go through a tough Chepauk test against Mumbai Indians.
The Big Picture
The two teams play their last match in Chennai. Mumbai Indians have yet again had a shaky start, whereas Punjab are struggling to perform collectively. On paper Mumbai have just won just one match more than Punjab but the actual story has been completely contrast. Rahul & Co. have struggled to find the right combination especially in the bowling unit. The Mumbai batting will be under the scanner after a batting collapse against Delhi. Moreover, the two teams have competed in 26 matches, Mumbai Indians have won 14 matches whereas Punjab Kings have won 12 matches.
Punjab Kings
Mohammed Shami’s form has been a major concern, whereas Pooran is yet to fire. Fabian Allen who was the lone wicket taker in the previous match against SRH bowled a little too quick on a typical Chepauk wicket. Since 2018, PK have managed just two wins against the current Champions, this also includes the Super Over victory last season. In last six matches the top four MI batsman have collectively scored 491 runs at an average of 82 runs per innings. Past 3 seasons the average score for Punjab against Mumbai in the batting power play has been 48 for the loss of 1 wicket. Considering the MI’s top order Deepak Hooda will be used as their 6th bowler.
Mumbai Indians
Mumbai have been hot and cold so far. Inconsistency in the batting unit has put them in trouble. Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya’s poor run so far has affected Mumbai Indians progress this season. Rohit Sharma who did not take field against SRH is expected to be fit ahead of their match against Punjab. In last 6 innings against Punjab, MI on an average have scored 50 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in the Power play. If the two Punjab left handers (Gayle, Pooran) stick longer on the crease Rahul Chahar and Krunal Pandya’s bowling will be restricted. Jayant Yadav is the only off-spinner in the Mumbai attack.
Pitch Conditions and Toss
The Chennai wicket continues to be slow and sluggish; the PK vs MI game is the second last match at the Chepauk this season. The wicket seems to slow down a bit as the match progresses. So far this season, the teams batting first have won 5 out of 8 matches in Chennai. Team winning the toss is expected to bat first. 150 seems to be a par score on this wicket.
Probable Playing XI
Punjab Kings: KL Rahul © (wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Shahrukh Khan, Moises Henriques, Ravi Bishnoi, Chris Jordan, Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh
Mumbai Indians: Quinton de Kock (wk), Rohit Sharma ©, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah
Match Details
Match No 17 Indian Premier League
Match: Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians
Date & Time:23rd April 2021, Friday 7:30 PM IST
Pivotal Players
Punjab Kings: KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard and Trent Boult
Clean Hitters
Punjab Kings: Deepak Hooda, Mayank Agarwal and Shahrukh Khan
Mumbai Indians: Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard
Death Over Bowlers
Punjab Kings: Arshdeep Singh, Moises Henriques and Mohammed Shami
Mumbai Indians: Kieron Pollard, Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah
Most Runs in IPL
Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (161) and Deepak Hooda (109)
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (138) and Suryakumar Yadav (121)
PK vs MI Dream11 Wicket Keeper
KL Rahul is the only keeper in my team. I have left out de Kock to fit in an additional bowler. KL Rahul has been in an explicit form since the past two seasons for PK. Since 2018, Rahul has scored 383 runs against MI at a strike rate of 141.32 which includes one century, and three 70+ scores.
PK vs MI Dream11 Batsmen
Rohit Sharma has a good understanding of the Chepauk wicket and is MI’s leading run scorer so far this season. Suryakumar Yadav is the second batsman in my side who can have a quick flurry of runs before one of the PK spinners deceives him. My third batsman is Sahrukh Khan who has been rock steady in the middle order. I wanted to fit in Mayank Agarwal, however due to budget constraints I have selected Khan. Since the Chennai wicket is double paced, I feel Chris Gayle might struggle to score runs.
PK vs MI Dream11 All-Rounders
Kieron Pollard is just two short of scoring 500 runs against PK. Since 2018 Pollard has scored 221 runs at a staggering strike rate of 232.63. This includes two fifty’s and 2 thirty plus scores. Pollard also bowls during the death overs for MI and is likely to pick up wickets for MI. Deepak Hooda is my second-choice bowler, considering the MI batting unit has three left-handed batsmen. Hooda has been in a great form with the bat as well. The Haryana lad is the second highest run scorer for PK.
PK vs MI Dream11 Bowlers
I have invested heavily on the bowling unit, since the wicket is slow and sluggish, I feel the bowlers will yet again have an upper hand. Arshdeep Singh and Rahul Chahar are my first-choice bowlers Singh bowls during the death overs and has ability to not only control the flurry of runs but can also pick wickets and dominate. Rahul Chahar has been sensational for MI during the middle overs. Chahar has picked up 8 wickets so far. Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult are the other two bowlers in my line up. Both have the abilities of picking up wickets at any given point of the match. A major plus point is the MI duo bowls economically even during the death overs and picks up wickets. Ravi Bishnoi is the fifth bowler in my side. Incase Bishnoi is not included in the playing XI I will replace him by Jayant Yadav.
PK vs MI Dream11 Captain & Vice-Captain
Captain: KL Rahul and Kieron Pollard
Vice-Captain: Rohit Sharma and Deepak Hooda
Fantasy League Disclaimer
All our selections are based on in-depth and astute analysis of the players partaking in the match, pitch report and a perusal of other reasoning. Please incorporate a slew of factors while crafting your own side with this article serving as a guide to the match and players. Pictures used in this post are the courtesy of the respective official Instagram handles of teams and players and are for representational purposes