IPL 6: Match 69- KXIP vs MI- Match Preview

With SRH winning against RR yesterday, KXIP’s hopes of making it to the play-offs have gone out of the window now. However, they will look to end their IPL campaign on a high today, as they take the field against the mighty MI side at HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala. MI, on the other hand, are certain of a top 2 finish in the league stage, and will be hoping to carry their winning momentum into the play-offs. KXIP are currently holding the 6th spot on the points table, while MI sitting pretty right at the top.

KXIP’s batting has been peaking of late, but they just fell behind in the race to the play-offs this season. Skipper Adam Gilchrist has started to look ominous, but it was too late for the Australian icon to come to the forefront. Shaun Marsh batted well in the last game, and will look to end with a yet another useful knock at the top. David Miller has been sensational, and has proved to be a top buy for KXIP. The left-hander has come out with some blistering knocks on a consistent basis this year. Azhar Mahmood has also been impressive, contributing with some significant scores more often than not. Local Indian talents like M Vohra, R Satish and Mandeep Singh have been disappointing in the later part of the IPL.

There hasn’t been much to cheer about KXIP’s bowling attack, barring the likes of Praveen Kumar and Azhar Mahmood. Parvinder Awana has been inconsistent, excluding some good performances here and there. Piyush Chawla continues to find a place in the side despite going for plenty in almost every game due to lack of options. Sandeep Sharma was outstanding in the last game, and KXIP will hope he repeats the same today.

Needless to mention, MI have simply been ruthless this season. All their batsmen have been delivering the goods so far. Sachin Tendulkar was out due to injury in the last game, and is doubtful for today’s game as well. Glenn Maxwell fared reasonably well opening the innings in the last game, and it will be interesting to see if Dwayne Smith replaces him today. Dinesh Karthik, Kieron Pollard and Rohit Sharma have been their power players in the middle and death overs all through the season. Similarly, a MI bowling line-up comprising the likes of Mitchell Johnson, Lasith Malinga, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha and Dhawal Kulkarni looks simply fearsome, and is capable of running through any batting order.

Conditions:

The true nature of the pitch and small ground dimensions might help the batsmen to score some quick runs here, as was evident in the last game. Even bounce and carry provided by the pitch might give the bowlers some respite if they stick to a proper line and length. The team that wins the toss should look to bat first on a placid wicket here.

Key Players for KXIP:

David Miller - He has been crucial in most of Punjab’s wins so far. He needs to come up with his best performance today in order to give his team any chance against the mighty MI side.

Shaun Marsh - This Australian left-hander is Punjab’s highest run-scorer combining all the seasons so far. He is the key to their batting at the top of the innings considering his capability to pile up big scores at a good strike rate.

Key Players for MI:

Rohit Sharma- The new Mumbai Indians’ captain has been in cracking form and is striking the ball well. His contribution in the middle order holds the key to Mumbai’s chances in this match.

Kieron Pollard- The big-built Caribbean right-hander has been an asset for the Mumbai side, especially with his hard-hitting capabilities and clever changes of pace when bowling. He plays the anchor role in the side, and saves plenty of runs while fielding as well.

Head to head:

The win-loss ratio is slightly in favour of KXIP, who have won 6 out the 11 games played between the two sides so far. MI managed to win 5 out of them.

Possible XI:

KXIP- Adam Gilchrist(c/wk), Shaun Marsh, Mandeep Singh, Azhar Mahmood, David Miller, M Vohra, Piyush Chawla, Praveen Kumar, Harmeet Singh/R Satish, Sandeep Sharma and Parvinder Awana.

MI- Dwayne Smith/Glenn Maxwell, Sachin Tendulkar/A Tare, Dinesh Karthik(wk), Rohit Sharma(c), Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell Johnson, Dhawal Kulkarni, Lasith Malinga and Pragyan Ojha.