In the 21st match of the VIVO IPL 2016, a faltering Kings XI Punjab host fellow strugglers, the defending champions Mumbai Indians. It has been more or less the same story for both the teams: lots of promise but failed deliverance of results. The hosts are rock bottom on the table, with just one win out of five. Mumbai, with 2 wins out of their five, far from looking like defending champions, look more like relegation strugglers in a football league. For both teams have struggled for points and while there have been the occasional flashes of brilliance here and there, more often than not, the teams as a whole have largely underperformed.
For the Kings, while Murali Vijay has occasionally stepped up to the occasion, Manan Vohra has been their in-form player by far and those two will have to give their team a good start. Shaun Marsh has come back to form of late and his 34-ball-40 in the defeat against the Sunrisers Hyderabad will give him the belief and restore some of the faith David Miller had put on him.
The captain himself is yet to fire and his poor show is one of the many reasons for Punjab’s failure, as he is part of the backbone of their batting. Although Punjab would not want to press the panic button just yet, the misfiring Glenn Maxwell might as well be dropped in favour of experienced South African batsman Farhaan Behardien.
Also read: IPL 2016 Match 21: KXIP vs MI Playing 11- Today's Probable XI for Mumbai Indians
Wicket-keeper Nikhil Naik would want to improve his strike rate while Axar Patel would want to carry on his splendid form from the last match where he scored a quickfire 17-ball-36. Rishi Dhawan would also want to prove his all-round credentials.
Mohit Sharma did bowl a decent line in the previous match, asking the batsmen a few questions, and he would want to get some crucial scalps. Mitchell Johnson may replace Kyle Abbott for this one as the South African quickie had an economy of 11.33 in the previous match. Sandeep Sharma has been clinical, and he would be expected to cause some problems to the batsmen on a wicket that assists the seamers.
Mumbai Indians suffered a shocking collapse right at the end of their innings in the match against Delhi Daredevils to fall short of their target by 10 runs. While captain Rohit Sharma has led from the front, his opening partner Parthiv Patel has been slow in getting runs and after scoring just 1 against Delhi might be dropped in favour of former under-19 skipper Unmukt Chand.
Hard-hitting Englishman Jos Buttler will need to enhance his reputation after he failed to do anything significant last time out. Both Ambati Rayudu and Krunal Pandya have shown good batting abilities and though Hardik Pandya still has not got a grip this season, should find a place in the starting eleven.
Kieron Pollard got right back into form, and should retain his place. While the pace attack will be formed by an unchanged trio of Mitchell McClenaghan, Tim Southee and Jasprit Bumrah (who would want to largely improve on his economy rate of 10.50 from the last match). Harbhajan Singh will be forming the spin bowling department along with Krunal Pandya.
Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians 2016 LIVE Streaming Details:
TV Channel: Sony ESPN, Sony ESPN HD, Sony Six, Sony Six HD, Sony Max
Online Stream: www.starsports.com, Hotstar App
Match Date: 25 April 2016, Monday
Match Timing: 20:00 IST, 2:30 GMT
Match Venue: Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali
Broadcast Details for watching the match :
IndiaSony Max, Sony Six, Sony ESPNAfricaSuperSportPakistanGeo SuperBangladeshMaasrangaCaribbeanSportsmaxBhutanSet Max, Sony SixCanadaSportsnetNew ZealandSky SportMalaysiaAstroSri LankaCarlton Sports NetworkHong KongPCCWThe Middle East and North AfricaOSNUnited StatesESPNSingaporeStarHub, SingtelAustraliaCricketGateway.comThe United KingdomSky SportsNepalSony Six, Sony MaxBruneiAstro
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