IPL 2021: Match 42, MI vs PBKS Match Prediction – Who will win today’s IPL match?

Preview 

Mumbai Indians are set to cross swords with Punjab Kings in Match No.42 of the 2021 Indian Premier League on Tuesday, September 28 at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The Kings, led by KL Rahul will go into the next game on the back of a five-run win against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Their bowlers must be high on confidence after defending a modest score of 125 on a difficult strip to bat on at Sharjah. Although they are placed fifth in the table, with four games remaining, PBKS don’t have much room for error. MI, on the other hand, are looking for some breathing space.

Rohit Sharma and Co. are languishing at the seventh spot in the table. Their confidence would have hit rock-bottom after their 54-run defeat at the hands of Royal Challengers Bangalore. In their previous meeting, the Punjab-based team defeated Rohit’s men by nine wickets with 14 balls left.

Match Details

Match – Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings – 42nd match

Venue – Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Time – 7:30 PM IST, 02:00 PM GMT

Where to watch live – Star Sports Network, Hotstar

Pitch Report

The pitch in Abu Dhabi is a tad on the slower side. But under the floodlights, batting becomes easier, especially in the second half. Chasing should be the way forward. The spinners are expected to play a massive role going into the contest on Tuesday.

Avg first innings score: 144 (4 matches in the IPL 2021 at Abu Dhabi)

Record of chasing teams: Won – 3, Lost – 1, Tied – 0

Probable Playing XIs:

Punjab Kings

Lokesh Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Harpreet Brar, Nathan Ellis, Mohammad Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh

Bench: Chris Jordan, Jalaj Saxena, Moises Henriques, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Darshan Nalkande, Prabhsimran Singh, Saurabh Kumar, Murugan Ashwin, Fabian Allen, Adil Rashid, Ishan Porel

Mumbai Indians

Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton De Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya/Saurabh Tiwary, Adam Milne, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult

Bench: Anmolpreet Singh, Piyush Chawla, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Marco Jansen, Jayant Yadav, Dhawal Kulkarni, Chris Lynn, Mohsin Khan, James Neesham, Aditya Tare, Anukul Roy, Arjun Tendulkar, Saurabh Tiwary/Krunal Pandya, Yudhvir Singh

Head-to-Head

Overall

Played – 27 | Mumbai Indians– 14 | Punjab Kings– 13  | N/R – 0

In the UAE

Played – 2 | Mumbai Indians– 1 | Punjab Kings– 1  | N/R – 0

Probable best batter of the match

KL Rahul— Punjab Kings

KL Rahul is currently the leading run-scorer for PBSK in the ongoing edition of the IPL to go with four half-centuries. The Karnataka-born has impressive numbers against the Mumbai-based franchise. The youngster has notched 640 runs from 13 innings at an average of 71.11. He also notched a century against them at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai back in 2019.

Probable best bowler of the match

Jasprit Bumrah– Mumbai Indians

Jasprit Bumrah has been excellent for MI in the ongoing T20 league. In Mi’s previous game, he gave his team a good start after getting rid of Devdutt Padikkal for a four-ball duck. Against the Punjab-based team, the speedster has decent numbers. In the 48.4 overs he has played versus PBKS, Bumrah has picked up 17 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 6.31.

Today’s match prediction: The team, batting second to win the match.

Disclaimer: This prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.