IPL 2019, KXIP Vs MI Preview: A Rusty KXIP Look To Bounce Back Against A Rejuvenated MI

With both the teams earning one victory of their respective two games in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019, the onus will be between who outplays the other in the all-important clash between Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali on Saturday. KXIP, who will be playing their first home game of this IPL season, will look to exploit the familiar conditions.

KXIP have been under the noose in both their earlier matches, as they had to endure dramatic incidents. In their first match, KXIP's victory against Rajasthan Royals was plagued by the 'mankading controversy' involving captain Ravichandran Ashwin, which attracted criticism from the cricketing fraternity. KXIP's victory by 14 runs was completely overshadowed by the incident.

In their second game against Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR), Ashwin was once again under the scanner as the team was penalized for not keeping four men within the 30-yard circle, which resulted in Andre Russell getting a reprieve, who utilized it to the maximum and was probably the difference maker between both the teams. Russell's 17-ball 48 ensured KKR posting a mammoth total of 218. This mistake probably cost KXIP the match as they fell short by 28 runs.

Ashwin and his troop will look to start with a fresh mindset as they play their first game in Mohali on Saturday. The positives for KXIP from the match were the exceptional batting display from Mayank Agarwal (58) and David Miller (59*). Though debutant mystery spinner Varun Chakravathi, was taken to the cleaners in his initial overs, he found back his rhythm in his third over.

KXIP's opener KL Rahul has failed to make any impact at the top, managing just 5 runs from his previous two outings. The flamboyant batsman who is known for his elegant strokes will hope to revive his form. The Ashwin led team will depend heavily on Chris Gayle to put up a promising show.

On the other hand, MI will be riding high on confidence coming into this match, after notching up a 6-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Thursday. Skipper Rohit Sharma (48) and batsman Suryakumar Yadav (38) looked in good touch, while Hardik Pandya with his late onslaught (32 off 14) set a target of 188 for RCB. It was Jasprit Bumrah who was the catalyst for Mumbai's victory as he returned with the figures of 3 for 20 in his quota of 4 overs. MI managed to pull off the win under the skin of an unbeaten knock of 70 by AB de Villiers. The match also attracted controversy as the umpires failed to call a no-ball of Lasith Malinga's final delivery of the chase when 7 runs were required. The Mumbai camp will also be boosted with Yuvraj Singh's form with the bat. The vintage southpaw batsman will be eager to etch a mark in his home ground 'Mohali'.

With Bumrah in his prime form and the return of Lasith Malinga, it is to be seen how the top order of the KXIP counter the Mumbai pace attack.

Head-to-Head and key numbers:
KXIP has faced MI for 22 times in IPL; off which MI has won 12 matches, while RR has emerged victorious 10 times.

KXIP’s best position in IPL: Runners-up in 2014
- MI's best position in IPL: Winners in 2013,2015 and 2017
- Highest individual score in this fixture: Hashim Amla (KXIP) - 104* in Indorw (2017)
- Best bowling figures in this fixture: Munaf Patel (MI) - 5/21 in Chandigarh (2011)
- Most runs in this fixture: Shaun Marsh (KXIP) - 526.
- Most wickets in this fixture: Lasith Malinga (MI)- 22

When and how to watch:
Date: March 30 (Saturday), 2019
Time: 4 PM IST
Venue: Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali
Tv guide: Star Sports Network
Live streaming: Hotstar

Expected Eleven:
Kings XI Punjab: Ravichandran Ashwin (capt), Chris Gayle, Lokesh Rahul, Mohammed Shami, Mayank Agrawal, David Miller, Varun Chakaravarthi, Hardus Viljoen, Sarfaraz Khan, Andrew Tye, Mandeep Singh.

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (capt), Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Yuvraj Singh, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Mayank Markande, Mitchell McClenaghan, Suryakumar Yadav, Quinton de Kock.

Squads:
Kings XI Punjab: Ravichandran Ashwin (capt), Chris Gayle, Lokesh Rahul, Mohammed Shami, Mayank Agrawal, Karun Nair, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and David Miller, Sam Curran, Varun Chakaravarthi, Nicholas Pooran, Moises Henriques, Hardus Viljoen, Darshan Nalkande, Sarfaraz Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Agnivesh Ayachi, Harpreet Brar, Murugan Ashwin, Andrew Tye, Ankit Rajpoot, Mandeep Singh, Simran Singh.

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (capt), Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Yuvraj Singh, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Rahul Chahar, Ben Cutting, Pankaj Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan, Siddhesh Lad, Evin Lewis, Mayank Markande, Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne, Jason Behrendorff, Anukul Roy, Rasikh Salam, Anmolpreet Singh, Barinder Sran, Aditya Tare, Suryakumar Yadav, Jayant Yadav and Quinton de Kock.