Our Prediction
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Kings XI Punjab Side is much reliant on their opening duo of KL Rahul and Maynak Agarwal so far in this tournament. Either of them have scored big runs to get the things going and post a good target.
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Mumbai Indians have got a quality bowling lineup with Jasprit Bumrah , Trent Boult and inclusion of Nathan Coulter-Nile in place of James Pattinson will strengthen the pace bowling attack which will not be mean easy task for Punjab .
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Ishan Kishan and Keiron Pollard have shown the destruction they can cause to any team when the chips were down . This will help the side to perform well as contribution is coming from everyone in the side .
We are back with another intresting Contest between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday . Both Teams have lost their previous matches and will like to improve and get 2 valuable points . Mumbai Indians almost achieved impossible task by scoring 89 Runs in last 4 overs to tie the match though they lost the match in super over . Mumbai Indians have got a perfect side having perfect blend of Experience and skills . Ishan Kishan had showed the other day how destructive can he we when he is on song missing a well deserved hundred by just 1 run . Keiron Pollard also showed why he has been a permanent member of the team since 6-7 years . Rohit Sharma and Quinton De Kock will like to get them a good start without losing wickets . Bowling seems Decent with presence of Overseas quality bowlers like Boult and Pattinson . Rahul Chahar has impressed everyone with his skills and control with the ball .
Punjab On the other hand will be gutted from the last match where they failed to defend a huge target of 223 against the Rajasthan . Their opening partnership has been terrific in all the 3 matches hey played where at least one of the two has gone on play a big inning and standing till the last . But the trend may change as Mumbai have strong bowling lineup and it will not be an easy task to deal with them . Middle order hasn't got much opportunity to bat as majority of the scoring has been done by the two openers yet . Maxwell and Pooran will also like to get going as they haven't got much batting front up . Bowling has been a issue for the Kings where they are unable to restrict the run flow except Young Ravi Bishnoi . Shami has been among the wickets but he is been expensive . Mujeeb Can play in place of Cotrell as he can bowl well in powerplay and can restrict the scoring rate and also can pick wickets up front.
PITCH REPORT
While there has been an ample amount of dew in the second innings, the teams chasing haven't found chasing as easy. In the four matches gone so far, the average scores have been more around 160-run mark with Mumbai's score of 195 in one match being an aberration rather than the norm. The surface has been slow and spinners have enjoyed bowling here. We once again expect dew to make an impact here and setting a score won't be easy. Although we have seen the temperatures drop by a couple of degrees over the last few days, it is still going to be pretty hot and fitness levels will be tested. Any total of more than 170 batting first will be a hard one to chase down.
TOSS PREDICTION
Losing the toss has so far proved to be a blessing in disguise and that has primarily been due to the teams over-relying on dew to accelerate in the second innings. Despite all that, toss is likely to play an important role going forward in the tournament. With the dew factor likely to have an impact and both sides having a potent batting lineup, we expect the captain winning the toss to field first.
