The Mumbai Indians will be hosting the Kings XI Punjab at Wankhede on April 10. Both teams are coming into the match after winning their previous games and it will be interesting to see which team comes out on the top once again.
Wankhede is a lively pitch and it should be a run fest there. The ball comes on to the bat very well and the onus will be on the batsmen to carry their team home to victory. The bowlers will not have a lot of scope for mistakes and any bad ball could cost them runs.
Both teams can speak of some huge stars in the form of Chris Gayle, Sam Curran, Mayank Agarwal, Andrew Tye, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah etc. All these players have been performing at a high level and it will be a battle of who performs better during the match.
While a good team effort will be required to win the match, let us have a look at one player from each team who could prove to be the match winner for his team:-
Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya has come back extremely strong after his injury and the 'Koffee With Karan' controversy. He has timed the ball excellently and his bowling has been better than ever.
He has performed in almost every match and has taken his team to victory on all occasions. He has been a star for Mumbai this season and he will be expected to repeat his performances.
Hardik Pandya's strike rate has been the best after Andre Russell this season. He has been timing the ball sweetly than ever and has taken wickets in almost every match.
What makes Pandya special is ability to change the team's fortune in the last four to five overs when MI are batting. He comes out in the slog overs and hits every over for 15 -20 runs, which not only makes the total a huge one to chase but also gets the momentum to his side.
Pandya has been performing well in this IPL so far and he will want to do so again. That is why he will be the match winner for MI for their match against KXIP.
Kings XI Punjab: KL Rahul
KL Rahul has slowly and silently climbed his way to the fourth spot for the Orange Cap this season.
He strikes at a very low rate early in the innings and that is why doesn't seem too dangerous. However, while bowlers don't realise that, he settles down perfectly to accelerate at the end and give his team a perfect finish.
Rahul has played the role of the anchor for his team exceptionally well. He has finished matches for his team and has been in excellent form. With this match expected to be a high scoring one, the onus will once again be on KL Rahul to take his team home to victory.
With the likes of Chris Gayle and Mayank Agarwal firing the big shots at the other end, he will have to remain calm and play the longer innings.
KL Rahul will be the match winner for the Indian team for the World Cup that is going to be announced soon and he will play very safe so that he can create an impact in the match and make his performance visible to the selectors.
With big stars present in both teams, the match should be a hell of a contest and it will be exciting to see who comes out on the top.
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