Venue: Sheikh Zayed International Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Average score at venue: 163
Win percentage while batting first: 46.43%
Pitch Conditions:
- Both Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings will expect their batsmen to come good and make most of the batting-friendly wicket in Abu Dhabi, with a heavy score yet to be recorded at this venue in Indian T20 2021.
- Pace bowlers have enjoyed a greater success rate with 69.55% of wickets coming their way, compared to the spin bowlers getting 30.45% of the dismissals.
Weather prediction:
Following a bright and sunny day in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, the temperature will drop down from 35°C to around 33-34°C during the match hours in the evening. The players will find it a little difficult to adjust with the humidity levels which are expected to rise rapidly from mid-50% to past 70% after the sunset.
Head-to-head performance:
Matches played: 27
Mumbai Indians (MI) won: 14
Punjab Kings (PBKS) won: 13
No result: –
Top 3 players from Mumbai Indians (MI): Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Quinton de Kock
Top 3 players from Punjab Kings (PBKS): KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Ravi Bishnoi
Top picks for H2H/WTA contest (top 5 players each):
Top 5 players from Mumbai Indians (MI): Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Quinton de Kock, Kieron Pollard, Rahul Chahar
Top 5 players from Punjab Kings (PBKS): KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammad Shami, Nicholas Pooran
Q&A:
Should I pick more bowlers, batsmen or all-rounders?
The format of T20 cricket is all about putting up scores on the board and intimidating the opposition with it. Both Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings will know that their batsmen are up for a huge task in the four matches each that both these teams are left with in the tournament, in order to make it to the Indian T20 2021 playoffs. Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal will carry extra responsibilities for their respective teams since they open the innings and face the maximum deliveries possible. On the other hand, both the teams have key fast bowlers in Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Adam Milne, Arshdeep Singh, and Mohammad Shami, who all would want to exploit the odd bounce and movement assisted by the fresh green grass present on the Abu Dhabi surface.
From which team should I pick more players in my XI? Which team is stronger?
Mumbai Indians are the defending champions of Indian T20 2021 and have also won the tournament the most number of times (5). On paper, there cannot be any other team which can come across stronger or better than them, but unfortunately, that is not the case this season. A team which is known for attaining peak form late in the tournament, Mumbai Indians are yet to arrive in Indian T20 2021 wherein they are currently placed at the penultimate spot in the points table with 4 wins and 6 defeats in 10 matches giving them 8 points, but the worst Net Run Rate (NRR) of -0.551. On the other hand, Punjab Kings will feel that they are positioned better than Mumbai Indians, at the fifth position with a similar set of matches played, won and lost, but with a better NRR of -0.271. On paper, Mumbai Indians certainly look the stronger side but given the current form, Punjab Kings might just be tad ahead in the competition.
MORE INFORMATION:
Players’ form: There is no exaggeration in saying that Punjab Kings are heavily dependent on their top order consisting of captain KL Rahul and his mate Mayank Agarwal, who both have been scoring heavily for them over the last two years. However, it remains to be seen how much contribution can the others make — something which was tested in the last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Punjab Kings posted a modest total of 124/7 batting first, which was certainly nowhere close to a safe total in a competition as intense as Indian T20 against any side. On their part, Mumbai Indians will be desperate to bring more from the middle-order consisting of Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya, who returned to the playing XI against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Changes in squad (if any): NO
LIKELY XIs:
Mumbai Indians (MI): Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Adam Milne, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult.
Punjab Kings (PBKS): KL Rahul (c&wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Aiden Markram, Nicolas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Harpreet Brar, Nathan Ellis, Mohammad Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh.
FANTASY XI: Rohit Sharma (vc), KL Rahul (c&wk), Quinton de Kock, Mayank Agarwal, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Ravi Bishnoi.
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Mumbai Indians in do-or-die situation again, Punjab Kings look for improvement
As things stand, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore — who all have more than 12 points at least in the Indian T20 2021 points table — are likely to progress into the playoffs, leaving the other six or seven teams to fight for the final spot.
And considering the fact that Sunrisers Hyderabad might have just lost out in the race to make it to the final four — they have only 1 victory from 9 matches and only 2 points in their kitty — there are four teams left who are in contention for presumably the last spot in the Indian T20 2021 points table.
Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians are set to be engrossed in an intense competition to make it to the final four over the next one week or so, with all of them left with about 4 matches each to play.
Among all these four teams, it is Mumbai Indians who are in the worst situation possible. With the competition intensifying and teams more or less having similar kind of returns from the matches played so far, it is the Net Run Rate which is going to come into play. This is where the Rohit-led side has a lot to improve.
Mumbai Indians have a negative NRR of -0.551, which is the worst among the all four teams that are vying for the possible fourth spot in the Indian T20 2021 points table. And given their current form, Mumbai Indians will be forced to bring out their best, particularly with the bat, if they are to make it to the knockout and not fall apart being the defending champions this year.
Mumbai Indians have some serious concerns with the bat as the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard and even Krunal Pandya have been found wanting on more often than not. With the ball, Jasprit Bumrah has led the fight incredibly well in the company of Trent Boult and Adam Milne, but spin department is another area of concern for Mumbai Indians with Rahul Chahar not really imposing himself as much as they would have liked him to.
It remains to be seen if Rohit plays the contest against Punjab Kings having taken a blow to his left hand while batting against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday night. But Mumbai Indians will want Rohit to be leading the feed on Tuesday night against Punjab Kings as they are in a do-or-die situation.
On their part, Punjab Kings will want to improve their NRR as well — through a victory by a big margin — and garner more victories under their belt since there are only four matches left for them to play. Punjab Kings are heavily dependent on their captain Rahul and Agarwal, with the others in Chris Gayle, Nicolas Pooran, Deepak Hooda are leaving a lot to be desired as of yet.
In Arshdeep, Shami and Ravi Bishnoi, Punjab Kings have a potent bowling attack which can run through any batting line-up on the day and also contain the opposition batsmen in case of need.
While Mumbai Indians are the defending champions and five-time title winners, they have not made their presence felt yet and it remains to be seen if they will bring out another Houdini Act of surprising the others and landing into the top four by the cut-off time.
