Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians, IPL 2023, Today Match Prediction

pbks vs mi Match Prediction & Analysis

Punjab Kings will be back to Mohali to play Mumbai Indians in their last home game of the season. Their last home game was a nightmare of a match where they ended up conceding 257 runs bowling first.

Dhawan will be happy with their win over CSK at Chepauk in the very next game. It was a much-needed win after what happened in Mohali against LSG. Mumbai Indians are also coming here on the back of a win chasing a 200+ total. Their middle order has found rhythm with Suryakumar Yadav delivering consistently.

Tim David is also a reliable match-finisher for MI. Though Rohit Sharma hasn’t had a good season, he and his opening partner can give MI a solid start in the powerplay.

The big concern for both teams going into this match will be their bowling form and consistency. Though PBKS have a superior bowling attack on paper, their recent outings weren’t promising. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Punjab Kings Preview

Punjab’s inconsistency continues with W L W L W in their last 5 matches in IPL 2023. Their biggest drawback ahead of the MI clash is their lack of dominance at home.

After kicking off the season with a win at home against KKR, Punjab Kings went on to lose 3 matches at Mohali. This is an all-important game as the race to the playoffs gets tighter. 

Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran will be crucial for Punjab in this match. These two are among the most promising left-arm seamers who can make a big impact on the game.

While Rabada hasn’t been in his usual best, PBKS can’t afford replacing him with Nathan Ellis either. The former Mumbai Indian, Rahul Chahar should be Dhawan’s go-to man for a breakthrough in the middle overs.

Chahar was wicketless in his last game against MI at Wankhede and went for 42 runs. He used to be a key wicket-taking bowler for MI and his struggle with form has been a big problem for PBKS this season.

The pitch was a batting paradise in the last match played on this ground. As such, we expect the key batters from both teams to have a great time. 

Dhawan and Prabhsimran can get Punjab off to a flier once again. Taide and Livingstone will be key in the middle order while the in-form Jitesh Sharma is a reliable finisher to watch out for in this lineup.

Punjab Kings Predicted Playing XI:

Atharva Taide, Shikhar Dhawan (c), Liam Livingstone, Sikandar Raza, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh

Punjab Kings Actual Playing XI:

Arshdeep Singh, Rishi Dhawan, Matthew Short, Prabhsimran Singh, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Jitesh Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Rahul Chahar, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran

Mumbai Indians Preview

Mumbai Indians have 8 points from 8 matches and desperately need a win here to stay alive in the race to playoffs. A win in this match can take them to number 5 or 6 in the points table depending on their NRR.

Mumbai’s chances of winning the title look bleak this season. And it is all due to their bowling struggles. Archer doesn’t seem to make a big impact and has been expensive. The only bowler who’s truly been impactful is Piyush Chawla. 

Whether it is Riley Meredith, Jofra Archer, or Jason Beherendorff, no overseas pacer has delivered for MI what Bumrah and Boult did in previous seasons. Meredith conceded 51 and 49 runs in his last two innings while Archer went for 35 and 42. Cameron Green hasn’t been any better either. 

Until the last match, Mohali had been a tricky surface where a 170+ target was safe as it wasn’t easy to bat second. However, if the pitch behaves like it did in the last game, MI will have another big challenge on their hands.

And in case, the pitch isn’t as flat as in the last game, MI would still be under pressure if they are put to bowl first. The likes of Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Cameron Green will be responsible for delivering a win for MI.

It will be the batters who need to do the job for MI if the bowlers continue to fail. And considering the opposition’s current bowling form, there may be a good chance for MI batters.

Mumbai Indians Predicted Playing XI:

Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Jofra Archer, Piyush Chawla, Kumar Kartikeya, Riley Meredith, Arshad Khan

Mumbai Indians Actual Playing XI:

Nehal Wadhera, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal, Cameron Green, Arshad Khan, Timothy David, Jofra Archer, Tilak Varma, Kumar Kartikeya, Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

It is a batting-friendly pitch in Mohali with the ball coming on to the bat nicely allowing batters to play their strokes freely. There will be thundershower during the day but by the time of the match, it will be cloudy in Mohali with a high of 22 degrees Celsius. There will not be any due on the pitch in such weather.

Venue Details

Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali will be the venue for Punjab Kings’ last home game of this season. The average 1st innings score on this ground in T20s is 167 runs. Both teams should aim at something over 190 to ensure they have a fighting chance of winning.

Toss: To Bat

Team batting first has won 3 of the 4 matches played in Mohali this season. It also depends on the pitch used on the match day whether batting first or second would be beneficial. However, considering the current form of the teams and the pitch conditions, batting first would be the right way to go.

PBKS vs MI
Winning Prediction

It is likely to be a close contest between these two teams. There is no clear winner here as there are similar issues in both teams and similar strengths as well. The toss can play a role if the pitch is going to change and get slower as the match progresses. Though PBKS have been expensive in their recent games, we reckon they will have a slight edge over MI due to their superior bowling attack. 

Punjab Kings to beat MI

MegaPari

130% welcome bonus up to ₹26,000 - Exclusive

BET NOW