Mumbai Indians, who failed to register a single victory in the UAE leg of Indian Premier League, host unbeaten Kings XI Punjab at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Punjab lead the head-to-head encounters 7-5 against Mumbai. Catch live updates of the match.
Mumbai Indians take on table-toppers Kings XI Punjab at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Follow live updates of the match here: (Live Scorecard | Text Commentary | Schedule | Points Table )
Holders Mumbai Indians would be keen to end their dismal five-match losing streak but the task is easier said than done as they will clash against table-toppers Kings XI Punjab in an Indian Premier League match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai today. With the IPL action shifting to India after the initial phase was held in the UAE, MI would be eager to turn around their floundering fortunes after suffering five straight defeats in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
It has been Mumbai's batting, more than their bowling, which has caused their slump thus far in the tournament. MI have tried out a few opening combinations and failed miserably with captain Rohit Sharma, his Mumbai Ranji Trophy teammate Aditya Tare, former Australia cricketer Mike Hussey and new signing Ben Dunk, also an Aussie, all failing to get going.
Kings XI Punjab, on the other hand, would be equally earnest to ensure that their five-match winning streak in the UAE is not snapped by last year's champions. Punjab have batted, bowled and fielded extremely well in the first phase of the T20 League and another victory at the cost of the struggling MI would enhance their top-four chances which are already bright. (Read more )
The presence of several legends in the Mumbai Indians squad is proving counter-productive, according to NDTV cricket expert Dean Jones. Mumbai Indians crashed to their fifth straight Indian Premier League defeat in Dubai on Wednesday night. Mumbai are the only team not to score a point in the first leg of the tournament in United Arab Emirates.
Mumbai Indians have several luminaries in their team, each one a legend in his own right. While the retired Sachin Tendulkar is the team's icon, Mumbai Indians recently roped in former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting as a consultant. While former New Zealand skipper and Team India coach John Wright is the team's chief coach, South African Jonty Rhodes and former India skipper Anil Kumble are also part of the team management. Such a heavyweight non-playing line-up has not been of great help to the team, feels Jones. (Read more )
Skipper Bailey Cautious After Punjab's Impressive Start
Punjab are sitting on top of IPL table after an all-win record in the UAE leg but skipper George Bailey said his team may have to start from the scratch as they play their first match in India against Mumbai. "Could not have wished for anything better. Great start there (UAE). It is great to have the start we have, but it is almost like starting from scratch again (now) that we are back in India," Bailey said at the pre-match press conference. (Read full story here )
Rohit Optimistic Despite Mumbai's Dismal Start
"We all know it has been a disappointing start. Certain things we did not do right. We took each game at a time and not looked too far ahead. We committed a lot of mistakes right from the first game against Kolkata (Knight Riders) till the last game against Sunrisers (Hyderabad) and kept repeating them," said Rohit ahead of Saturday's game at the Wankhede Stadium. (Read more )
In their fifth year now, Mumbai Indians' social initiative 'Education For All' is set to take a leap forward when over 18,000 underprivileged children from various NGOs will flock the historic Wankhede Stadium for the Mumbai outfit's first home match. (Read )
Squads
Kings XI Punjab: George Bailey (C), David Miller, Manan Vohra, Virender Sehwag, Mitchell Johnson, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shaun Marsh, Wriddhiman Saha, Thisara Perera, Glenn Maxwell, Rishi Dhawan, Anureet Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Akshar Patel, Beuran Hendricks, Karanveer Singh, Murali Kartik, Shivam Sharma, Shardul Thakur, L Balaji, Parvinder Awana, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Mandeep Singh.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (C), Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Michael Hussey, Zaheer Khan, Pragyan Ojha, Corey Anderson, Josh Hazlewood, CM Gautam, Aditya Tare, Apoorv Wankhade, Marchant de Lange, Krishmar Santokie, Ben Dunk, Pawan Suyal, Sushant Marathe, Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Gopal, Lendl Simmons.
Story first published on: Saturday, 03 May 2014 12:11
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