IPL 2016, MI vs KXIP Playing 11: Probable XI for Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab (Confirmed XI)
Confirmed Playing XI
Mumbai Indians Playing XI: Rohit Sharma(c), Unmukt Chand, Ambati Rayudu, Nitish Rana, Kieron Pollard, Jos Buttler(w), Krunal Pandya, Harbhajan Singh, Tim Southee, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jasprit Bumrah
Kings XI Punjab Playing XI: Hashim Amla, Murali Vijay(c), Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, Marcus Stoinis, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Axar Patel, Mohit Sharma, KC Cariappa, Sandeep Sharma
Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab will engage in battle at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ADA-VDCA Stadium in Vishakapatnam on Friday. Mumbai moved up to the 6th position in the points table courtesy of a victory over RCB in their previous match and are just 2 wins away from a spot in the playoffs. Punjab, meanwhile, have remained stuck at the bottom of the table for a long duration now and are staring at the possibility of losing out on a playoffs berth. The defending champions will want to get 16 points under their belt as quickly as possible and as such, they will push hard to win in Friday's match. The 2014 IPL runners-up, on the other hand, will be desperate to register a victory against MI to keep their chances of progressing alive.
Also read: MI vs KXIP Match Prediction: Who will win the match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab, IPL 2016, Match 43
Also read: Mumbai Indians (MI) vs Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) IPL 2016 Live Cricket Score & Ball by Ball Commentary
Here's is the likely line-up that may come out to play for Mumbai Indians:
Batting
Skipper Rohit Sharma has been the leader of the pack as far as the MI batting is concerned. The prolific right-hander has 413 runs in his kitty and averages in excess of 50 with 5 half-centuries to his name. Ambati Rayudu has also been in pretty good form as he has scored 321 runs in 10 innings.
New recruit Jos Buttler has played a good hand for them and has a tally of 195 runs at a very impressive strike rate of 145.52. The Mumbai batting has been bolstered by Kieron Pollard's return to form. The explosive all-rounder had been struggling in the initial stages of the tournament but has made a fine comeback thanks to a few blistering knocks in the past few games.
All-rounders
Krunal Pandya has easily been the top all-rounder for Mumbai Indians in his debut season. The southpaw has scored 128 runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 177.77 and has also picked up 4 wickets with his left-arm spin. His younger brother Hardik Pandya, though, has struggled badly with just 37 runs and 3 wickets to show for his efforts. Pollard may be doing well with the bat but he hardly has had a role to play with the ball this time around.
Bowling
Left-arm Kiwi pacer Mitchell McCleanaghan has been the star bowler for Mumbai this season with 15 wickets so far. He has received some outstanding support from youngster Jasprit Bumrah who has grabbed 11 wickets in the 2016 IPL. Tim Southee has also done a fine job with 8 wickets from 10 matches.
Veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh may have picked up only 7 wickets this year but he has bowled quite well and conceded runs at under 8 per over. Krunal Pandya has supported him well by taking a few wickets and also being very economical. Most of the other bowlers in the MI squad have not received many opportunities to play till now.
Probable Playing XI
Rohit Sharma (c), Parthiv Patel (wk), Ambati Rayudu, Jos Buttler, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Harbhajan Singh, Tim Southee, Mitchell McCleanaghan, Jasprit Bumrah.