The Mumbai Indians will look to knock Kings XI Punjab out of playoff contention and with it also seal a top two place in the IPL 2017 points table with a win at the fortress Wankhede on Thursday.
MI failed to find their usual levels in their last match, when they were well beaten by the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
While the Mumbai Indians remain the only team to have confirmed their place in the top four, they will fell a whole lot better if that confirmation also encompasses the top two.
With 18 points from 12 matches, MI can ensure they will have at least two chances of making the IPL 2017 final by picking up one more win. And why wait till their last match of the league phase, when they can get the job done in front of their own fans on Thursday.
While there is that top-two place at stake for the Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab's situation is a lot more desperate – they need to win both their remaining games to have any chance of going into the final week of IPL 2017.
That desperation was what got them over the line against the Kolkata Knight Riders in their last match on Tuesday.
Facing a similar must-win situation, KXIP pulled things back brilliantly in the middle overs against the usually-perfect-in-the-chase KKR batsmen, before some outstanding death overs bowling from Mohit Sharma got them the victory.
"The way our spinners bowled in the middle (was what won us the game)," Mohit said. "This was the first match of the season for Rahul Tewatia and he hasn't played too many other IPL games, overall either. His spell was the turning point."
They need more of the same at the Wankhede, plus a better all-round batting performance.
The batsmen let KXIP down a little in Mohali, managing just 167, on a pitch that could have garnered a lot more runs. While that proved to be more than enough in the end, Kings XI will know runs on the board is always key at the Wankhede.
Martin Guptill and Manan Vohra have the responsibility of scoring big at the top of the innings, with Shaun Marsh a key component as well.
Then Glenn Maxwell, who notched a nice 44 in the last match but should have really carried on and made a bigger score, Wriddhiman Saha and Axar Patel need to make sure that platform built, if there is one, is not allowed to collapse in a heap.
Kings XI Punjab have the personnel to beat any team in the IPL; it is now about bringing the A-game, with bat and ball, in their last two matches.
Where and when to watch live
MI vs KXIP is scheduled for an 8pm IST start. TV and live streaming information is below.
India: TV: Sony Six, Sony Six HD, Sony ESPN, Sony ESPN HD, Sony Max. Live Streaming: Hotstar.
International: Live Streaming: Cricketgateway.
Middle East: TV: OSN Sports Cricket. Live Streaming: OSN Play.
South Africa: TV: SuperSport Two. Live Streaming: SuperSport Live Video.
USA: TV: Willow TV. Live Streaming: Willow TV Online.
UK: TV: Sky Sports 3. Live Streaming: Watch Sky Sports.
