The Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) take on Mumbai Indians (MI) at HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala, the adopted ground of the latter on Saturday. It is the 69th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2013 and the second meeting for the teams.
Overview:
Both the teams enter the the contest at the back of winning their respective previous matches. MI had earlier defeated KXIP by four runs in their meeting earlier this season.
KXIP are placed sixth in the table with 14 points after winning seven of the 15 matches played. They defeated Delhi Daredevils by seven runs in the previous match, giving them a glimpse of hope to make it to the Playoffs but their hope was thrashed when Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Rajasthan Royals on Friday. They will have only 16 points in the table even if they win on Saturday, which is not enough to push them to the fourth position.
MI have qualified for the Playoffs. They are currently on top of the table with 22 points after winning 11 of the 15 matches played. They come into the contest at the back of winning five consecutive games, and ther latest victim being Rajasthan Royals. They will be keen to keep the momentum doing.
Previous Meetings:
KXIP have 6-5 win-loss record against MI in their 11 encounters so far. However, MI defeated the Punjab franchise by four runs in their last meeting this season.
Team News:
Kings XI Punjab: Skipper Adam Gilchrist is back in action. He scored 42 in the previous match at the back scoring 85 from 54 balls in the earlier game. Shaun Marsh (45) and David Miller (44) helped the team put up a total of 171 in the previous match. With in-form Mandeep Singh, Luke Pomersbach and Rajagopal Sathish in the side, they are a strong team.
Sandeep Sharma took three wickets and Piyush Chawla took two in the previous game. They also have Parvinder Awana, Azhar Mahmood, Manpreet Gony, Praveen Kumar, Harmeet Bansal and Ryan Harris in the bowling attack.
Mumbai Indians: Aditya Tare scored 59 runs, while others - Glenn Maxwell, Rohit Sharma, and Dinesh Karthik - contributed in the previous match, ensuring a win. Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar was rested in the last match, and he is expected to return for Saturday's game. With Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Smith in the line-up, they are a strong side.
Mitchell Johnson and Dhawal Kulkarni took two wickets apiece in the previous match. They also have the likes of Lasith Malinga, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha and Abu Nechim in the line-up, making them one of the strongest bowling sides this season.
Prediction:
KXIP have good record against MI but doing by their performance this season, the latter emerge as the favourites to win on Saturday.
Squads:
Kings XI Punjab: Adam Gilchrist (C), Azhar Mahmood, Bhargav Bhatt, Bipul Sharma, David Hussey, David Miller, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Gurkeerat Mann Singh, Harmeet Singh Bansal, Luke Pomersbach, Manan Vohra, Mandeep Singh, Manpreet Gony, Nitin Saini, Parvinder Awana, Paul Valthaty, Piyush Chawla, Praveen Kumar, Rajagopal Sathish, Ryan Harris, Sandeep Sharma, Shaun Marsh, Siddharth Chitnis, Sunny Singh
Mumbai Indians: Ricky Ponting (captain), Abu Nechim Ahmed, Akshar Patel, Aditya Tare, Aiden Blizzard, Ambati Rayudu, Amitoze Singh, Dhawal Kulkarni, Dinesh Karthik, Dwayne Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Harbhajan Singh, Jacob Oram, Jalaj Saxena, James Franklin, Jasprit Bumrah, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Mitchell Johnson, Munaf Patel, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Phil Hughes, Pawan Suyal, Pragyan Ojha, Rishi Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Suryakumar Yadav, Sushant Marathe, Yuzvendra Singh Chahal
Where to Watch Live
The match will begin at 4:00 pm IST and will be telecast live on Sony Set Max channel.
