Kings XI Punjab are boosted with Chris Gayle's arrival and will come out with nothing to lose as the side takes on the high-flying Mumbai Indians.
Kings XI Punjab almost threw away another one-sided victory in their last match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, when the side lost a wicket and took all six balls to score the remaining two runs to win in the final over of the match.
KL Rahul's side has struggled to close the games throughout the tournament so far. They conceded a Super Over defeat to Delhi Capitals after failing to score 1 run in three balls, and then faced a batting collapse against KKR after the opening duo of Rahul and Mayank Agarwal had put a 100+ partnership in 165-run chase.
KXIP's problem has been that their batting and bowling have not fired in unison on most occasions even though their confidence has been boosted by the return of Gayle.
The self-proclaimed 'Universe Boss' made his first appearance this IPL with a bang, hitting a 45-ball 53, a knock that was laced with five sixes and a four in KXIP's win over Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore.
A captivating duel may be in store between Gayle on one side and Bumrah and Boult on the other. KXIP have other in-form batsmen in Rahul and Agarwal, with both or at least one of them scoring big in almost every match.
But their bowling has been the weakest link. Barring Mohammad Shami and Ravi Bishnoi, none of the bowlers have inspired confidence, especially in the death overs. Not being able to find the right balance despite trying out many options has also contributed to KXIP's rapid slide.
But KXIP would be desparate to find a balance as they take on the Mumbai Indians, who are yet to show a major weakness in this tournament so far.
A win for Mumbai Indians will virtually seal them a spot in the play-offs. The side has steamrolled opposition teams with an explosive batting line-up complemented by a lethal bowling attack and the latest side to bear their brunt were the Kolkata Knight Riders who suffered an eight-wicket defeat on Friday.
Tabble-toppers MI boast of top batsmen such as captain Rohit Sharma (251 runs) and his opening partner Quinton de Kock (269) and both are in good touch, while the middle-order is manned by the likes of Suryakumar Yadav (243 runs) and Ishan Kishan (186 runs).
Rohit played second fiddle to de Kock in MI's win against KKR, with the South African hitting 78 not out from 44 balls.
In the bowling front, pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult have formed the most successful pair this IPL with 12 wickets apiece from eight matches so far.
Spinner Rahul Chahar chipped in against KKR with two wickets for 18 runs.
The Teams (From):
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Chris Lynn, Dhawal Kulkarni, Digvijay Deshmukh, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, James Pattison, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mohsin Khan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Prince Balwant Rai, Quinton De Kock, Rahul Chahar, Saurabh Tiwary, Sherfane Rutherford, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult.
KXIP: Lokesh Rahul, Harpreet Brar, Ishan Porel, Mandeep Singh, James Neesham, Tajinder Singh, Chris Jordan, Karun Nair, Deepak Hooda, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Glenn Maxwell, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sarfaraz Khan, Sheldon Cottrell, Mayank Agarwal, Mohammed Shami, Darshan Nalkande, Nicholas Pooran, Chris Gayle, Murugan Ashwin, Jagadeesha Suchith, Krishnappa Gowtham, Hardus Viljoen, Simran Singh.
