IPL 2018: Match 50, MI vs KXIP - Mumbai Indians Predicted XI

Mumbai Indians (MI) are all set to face the battered and struggling Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in the most important game of the Indian Premier League (IPL). It is a must-win game for the defending champions and they couldn’t have hoped for a better opposition who are coming off a thrashing at the hands of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). In case the team loses, their season and the title defence will come to a premature end with their last league game against Delhi converting into a dead rubber.

Rohit Sharma and his men will have to concentrate on this game first and make sure that they trump low-spirited Punjab. It won’t be easy though as they will be itching to arrest their losing streak and also qualify for the playoffs by winning a couple more matches. It is expected to be an interesting encounter and the team which will deal with the pressure better will triumph at the iconic Wankhede Stadium.

Here we bring you the predicted XI of Mumbai Indians for this game:

Openers (Evin Lewis, Suryakumar Yadav)

Evin Lewis and Suryakumar Yadav provided the team with a brilliant start once again in their previous encounter against the Royals. Both added 87 runs for the opening wicket even the former scored 60 runs. He was brutal in his shot-making but lost his wicket at the wrong time for his team and should look to continue for a long time this time around. It is important for Mumbai for the set batsmen to play through the innings which will help them post or chase a big total.

Surya has been exceptional so far this year and nobody has been able to match his consistency. His promotion to open the innings has worked perfectly for the team’s combination. He would be disappointed though for not scoring a century so far and has been guilty of getting out after going past the 50-run mark. He should look to anchor the innings once he gets settled which will help the other batsmen to revolve around him as well.

Middle Order (Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk))

Rohit Sharma has been completely out of touch for Mumbai Indians this year. He has failed to lead from the front and it was his first-ball duck in the last match which put pressure on the upcoming batsmen as they lost all the momentum. Rohit is a big-match player and there should be no better occasion to raise his game and bat Punjab out of the contest at the Wankhede on Wednesday.

Ishan Kishan failed to repeat the heroics he showed against KKR and was holed out in the deep at the crucial time. Batting at number 4, he should learn to take some responsibility and curb his natural instincts. It is more important to stay in the middle rather than going for bonkers from the word go. If he manages to get hold of the pace of the wicket, he has the ability to tear apart any bowling attack which he has proved in the tournament before. The team will be expecting a better performance from him in this encounter.

All-Rounders (Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Ben Cutting)

Hardik Pandya’s season individually has turned around dramatically ever since the heartbreaking defeat of Mumbai against SRH earlier. He has learnt from his mistakes and has brought his ‘A’ game to the fore at the right time. He is second in the list of highest wicket-takers with 18 scalps to his name and Hardik has been batting up the order as well which has worked wonders for Mumbai in the death overs.

Even Krunal Pandya has been good with the ball much like he was in the last season. His wily left-arm spin bowling is hard to get away with for any batsman and most of the teams have tried to play out his four-over spell. But he has struggled to justify his talent with the bat and would be eager to make some important runs down the order. Ben Cutting has come good at the crucial stages for Mumbai so far and has chipped in with few overs as well. He is even more dangerous in the death overs when it comes to his batting and can hurt any opposition on any given day.

Bowlers (Mayank Markande, Adam Milne, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jasprit Bumrah)

Mayank Markande has tailed off a bit in the last couple of outings. He needs to get his plans sorted before coming into the attack and unfurl some of his mystery balls to keep the mighty batsmen of Punjab quiet. Mitchell McClenaghan has been a bit expensive but has been getting wickets for his captain in the powerplay overs. He just needs to continue bowling the same way and should not deter from his plan even after going for few runs. His spell with the new ball is important against KL Rahul and Chris Gayle.

Jasprit Bumrah has been the lynchpin of the team for the last couple of years and has found his groove late in the tournament. Nevertheless, he has a couple of matches up his sleeve to make amends and help them qualify for the playoffs, If he gets amongst the wickets early in his spell, it will be huge for Mumbai as he has the ability to run through the oppositions.

Adam Milne is expected to come into this game in place of JP Duminy who hasn’t done much in last few matches. His pacy short balls will most likely trouble Gayle who got out in the same way against RCB the other day. Also, he will be fresh playing his first game of the season which will reap rewards for the defending champions.

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