IPL 2023: Match 45, Punjab Kings (PBKS) Predicted Playing XI vs Mumbai Indians

After a thrilling win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their last match in the ongoing IPL 2023, Punjab Kings will now take on Mumbai Indians on May 3 at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. Notably, the Shikhar Dhawan-led side is in decent form at the moment and will just have to work on their bowling, which has conceded 457 runs in the last two matches.

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When it comes to batting, Shikhar Dhawan started the season in a remarkable fashion but ever since he has made his return, the southpaw has failed to fire. Other than that, Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma have done remarkably well and thus, there are a lot of positives for them at the moment. However, will they make any changes against the Rohit Sharma-led side, that defeated Rajasthan Royals by six wickets in their last match? Let’s dissect -

Here's Punjab Kings’ predicted XI against Mumbai Indians:

Openers: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prabhsimran Singh

Skipper Shikhar Dhawan has the much-needed experience and it will come in handy at the business end of the tournament. In six matches so far, the India international has scored 262 runs at a strike rate of 148.86 and that shows that even though he hasn’t performed well in the last two matches, Dhawan can make a strong comeback.

When it comes to his captaincy, there’s some room for improvement even when PBKS are sixth on the IPL Points Table.

Youngster Prabhsimran Singh, meanwhile, was brilliant in the last match. Courtesy of his 42 runs off 24 deliveries, PBKS got a rapid start as they ended up scoring 201 runs. Notably, he is given all the freedom in the world to play his natural cricket and that will help the team, as along with Dhawan, Prabhsimran can give a perfect start to PBKS against Mumbai Indians.

Middle order: Atharva Taide, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shahrukh Khan

After scoring 66 runs off 36 deliveries against Lucknow Super Giants, Artharva Taide failed to step up in the last match. However, he has all the qualities to return back to form and make an impact against Mumbai, who are currently struggling with the ball. Notably, the 23-year-old has scored 112 runs in five matches so far in the competition.

Stumper-batter Jitesh Sharma is in incredible form at the moment. Batting in the middle order, the 29-year-old has scored 190 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 162.39. He has provided the much-needed acceleration towards the end, which has helped Punjab win multiple matches in the ongoing season. Thus, the team will once again trust him with the same role. 

When it comes to Shahrukh Khan, he needs to improve at the moment. He has been decent so far and as the tournament is approaching the business end, the 27-year-old will have to take more responsibility with the bat. So far, he has scored only 86 runs in nine matches.

All-rounders: Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza

Liam Livingstone is yet to show his class in the ongoing tournament. The England all-rounder has the ability to change the complexion of the game at any point and the team management would expect something similar from him in the remaining games.

So far, he has managed to score only 75 runs in four matches. With just two wickets in the ongoing season and that too at an alarming rate, Livingstone has struggled with the ball in hand as well.

Sam Curran has been decent so far in the competition. The England all-rounder has proved to be really valuable on occasions while at times, he has failed to deliver. So far he has managed to score 192 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 143.28, while with the ball, the most expensive player in the history of the IPL has picked up seven wickets so far.

Sikandar Raza, meanwhile, has scored 128 runs in six matches so far in the competition. With the ball, he has picked up three wickets but the economy has been on the higher side. However, since the conditions in Mohali are tailor-made for batters to dominate, things will be tough for Raza as spinners don’t get enough assistance.

Bowlers: Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh

Leg-break bowler Rahul Chahar hasn’t been that effective in the ongoing season. He has picked up only three wickets in nine matches so far and has also proved to be expensive. Thus, there’s a lot of room for improvement for the 23-year-old. 

Meanwhile, the pace duo of Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh has proved to be expensive at times but it also has the quality to help Punjab win a match in any situation. Notably, Rabada has picked up five wickets from four matches so far while Arshdeep has clinched 15 wickets in nine matches and with that, the latter is currently third in the IPL Purple Cap race.

Punjab Kings (PBKS) Probable Playing 11:

Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prabhsimran Singh, Atharva Taide, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sikandar Raza, Shahrukh Khan, Sam Curran, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh

Punjab Kings (PBKS) Probable Impact Players:

Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Rishi Dhawan, Baltej Singh, Matthew Short, Mohit Rathee