IPL 2017: Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians, 5 factors of winning
The 22nd match of the season will see Mumbai Indians visiting Kings XI Punjab at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. Where MI have won their last four games and are sitting pretty in the second position on the points table, KXIP have suffered three losses on the trot after winning their initial two matches.
It seemed as if KXIP had managed to enforce a turnaround after their dismal show in the last two seasons as they began with a bang, defeating RPS and RCB in their first two games but suffered three consecutive losses and would be itching to get back to winning ways.
On the other hand, MI lost their first encounter to RPS in a close shave but made a sensational comeback and won four games in a row. The manner in which they achieved those victories must be very pleasing for the team and they would hope to continue the winning momentum as the league starts to enter the middle stages.
Here are the 5 factors of winning for both the teams.
#1 With the bat
The opening batsman Hashim Amla had shown signs of good form in the first two games but has gone off the radar a bit and suffered a string of low scores. His last 3 scores have been 25, 19 and 0 which is well below par for a player of his standards.
There have been question marks about his ability to up the ante after the powerplay overs. If he retains his place in the XI, he needs to step up big time.
The other opener Manan Vohra played one of the best innings of IPL against SRH in the last game. He single-handedly took his team close to the target with a knock of 95 but fell in the dying stages of the chase and the team fell short by a narrow margin. A lot would be expected of him for the rest of the league after that innings.
The three overseas batsmen that follow - Glenn Maxwell, Eoin Morgan and David Miller are a threatening combination but it’s high time they live up to their potential to aid KXIP get back in the rhythm. Especially the skipper Maxwell's form is extremely crucial for his team's chances as the initial two victories had come courtesy quickfire knocks from him.
On the contrary, MI have had a superb run in the batting department.They batted second on last 4 occasions and chased down scores of 178, 158, 142 and 176 respectively. The best part of those chases has been that one batsman or the other has taken the responsibility and brought the side home.
Their mainstay in the batting order has been Nitish Rana who is the leading run-getter for them so far with 193 runs in 5 innings. His emergence has been extraordinary and MI once again produced a youngster who looks a great prospect for the future. The kind of maturity he has shown at the age of 23 is exemplary and he would once again be the key man for them.
Another big plus for them is the return of form for Pollard who played two back to back superb innings. The Pandya brothers too have played their parts nicely down the order that makes the line-up capable of chasing any total.
The only concern for them was Rohit Sharma’s poor form but he too spent some time at the crease in the last game and now needs to get going as soon as possible.