It remains to be seen if Hardik Pandya will put Jonny Bairstow in the scheme of things.
| Photo Credit: R.V. MOORTHY
Punjab Kings (PBKS) will look to bounce back from defeat and wade through a short turnaround when it takes on the Mumbai Indians (MI) here on Monday.
A reverse at the hands of the Delhi Capitals (DC) at their third ‘home’ venue meant the Kings are yet to seal a spot in the top two of the standings.
Despite posting a formidable 206 for eight in its batting essay, the Shreyas Iyer-led side faltered in its bowling execution, conceding the game in the final over.
Against MI, the bowling attack could be bolstered by the return of Yuzvendra Chahal, who was rested for the previous game due to a small niggle.
MI, which has 16 points and currently fourth, needs just a win to earn a spot in Qualifier 1 as the five-time champion has a better Net Run Rate than table-topper Gujarat Titans (18 points).
India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has been at the forefront for the side, amassing 583 runs at a strike rate of 170.46.
PBKS will hope to become the first team to dismiss the Mumbai batter before he crosses 20 this season.
Punjab’s uncapped opening duo of Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh will have their task cut out against MI’s lethal new-ball attack that has picked a tournament-high 22 wickets in the PowerPlay.
The surface is expected to be conducive for batting, evidenced by the team batting first crossing the 200-run mark in each of the last four encounters here. With both teams already defending a target at this ground, they might be tempted to make full use of scoreboard pressure during this crunch contest.
Published – May 25, 2025 09:24 pm IST