Keep winning is the only option that Kings XI Punjab have as they move into their last two games in IPL 2017, with the penultimate one coming in Bollywood land against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
After pulling off a terrific victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders, when their bowlers stepped up in impressive fashion, Kings XI will bank on an all-round performance to trump the Mumbai Indians.
The win over KKR was all the more impressive, because it came without the in-form Hashim Amla and David Miller, who have both left to join up with the South Africa squad as they prepare for the ICC Champions Trophy.
Amla and Miller will not be a part of IPL 2017 anymore, even if Kings XI Punjab somehow manage to make the playoffs, so the team need to continue finding a way of picking up wins without the South Africans.
Considering how well the bowlers did against KKR, Kings XI might go with the same playing XI, although the lineup they went with against KKR does leave them a little short in the batting, with Wriddhiman Saha coming in at No.5 and Axar Patel at six.
To beat the Mumbai Indians in their own backyard, though, you need a strong bowling lineup, so sticking with Matt Henry as the fourth overseas player looks like being the right strategy. An Indian fast bowler – Varun Aaron, T Natarajan or Ishant Sharma – could be brought in, however, in the place of Swapnil Singh.
Darren Sammy is an option for the Kings XI Punjab, so is Eoin Morgan, but Henry, despite conceding 31 runs in his three overs, could get another game.
The Mumbai Indians, the only team who have qualified for the playoffs so far, could rest some of their key players, in order to keep them fresh for the playoffs.
With two more games to play, MI, though, will want to make sure they finish in the top two, so that they get two opportunities at making the IPL 2017 final.
Krunal Pandya is still thought to be nursing an injury, while Ambati Rayudu will hope to get an opportunity, after an early injury and the form of Nitish Rana, who has cooled down in the second half of the Indian Premier League season, pushed him out of the playing XI.
Lasith Malinga has not joined up with the rest of his Sri Lanka teammates for their preparatory camp for the Champions Trophy, with the fast bowler set to stay the course with MI, while Lendl Simmons will open the batting again, as the Mumbai Indians look to the West Indian to fire at the top in the playoffs in the absence of Jos Buttler.
Confirmed playing XI:
Mumbai Indians: Lendl Simmons, Parthiv Patel, Nitish Rana, Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Karn Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga.
Kings XI Punjab: Manan Vohra, Martin Guptill, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Wriddhiman Saha, Axar Patel, Rahul Tewatia, Matt Henry, Mohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Sandeep Sharma.
