There is one more match in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday and it comes from Pune where the Mumbai Indians will be looking to kick their season into life when they go up against the Punjab Kings.
These are two of the most entertaining sides in the competition when they are fully firing so if they can both have their best cricket with them we should be in for a really good contest, one which could have a big bearing on the season of both teams.
Mumbai Indians
I said earlier in the season that a slow start for the Mumbai Indians is nothing new and while they have overcome that in the past there will certainly be a few alarm bells ringing after a sluggish opening to the campaign has turned into losing their first four matches. They are now the only side without a win in the competition and are already six points off the pace in the race for the top four. With a dreadful net run rate they are already looking at having to win eight of their last 10 matches so the pressure is right on them.
The bowling department is becoming a real concern for the Mumbai Indians I would imagine. They haven’t been able to stem the flow of runs at any stage in the season and now they aren’t picking up wickets either. They simply have to start getting early wickets else they are going to continue to struggle. The problem is beginning to get to their batters too. They know they need above average scores at the minute and are faltering chasing them.
Punjab Kings
The Punjab Kings have won two and lost two of their four matches to date. On the face of it you would probably call that an acceptable start to the season but the way they lost their last match leaves a bitter taste in the mouth and they could go one of two ways here. They lost to the Gujarat Titans when their opponents needed two sixes off the last two balls. To everyone’s amazement that is exactly what they got so to say the Kings snatched defeat from the jaws of victory would be an understatement.
When that happens teams can either come out fighting or they crumble in a heap. I think they’ll come out fighting but the big concern I have with this Punjab side is that there appears to be no brains in it. I accept they want to be aggressive and stamp their authority on matches with the bat but some of their batting at times this season has been absolutely brain dead. That needs to change if they are to achieve what they want this season because their bowling doesn’t look nearly as strong as most in the competition.
Special Offer
Sign up for a Boylesports account to get up to £25 in free bets! Perfect offer for this series! Click the image below for this great offer! New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
Key Players
Suryakumar Yadav has come back from his injury as if he hasn’t had any time out of the game. He has made brilliant 50s in both matches that he has played this season and you sense the Indians will need plenty more runs from a gun batter.
Liam Livingstone is starting to carry the fear that the elite T20 cricketers have. His six hitting potential puts him up there with Chris Gayle, Andre Russell and Glenn Maxwell while his spin bowling is a useful tool in his armoury and both facets of his game will be needed here.
Betting
I think it is pretty obvious that the Punjab Kings have set their stall out to be all-out attack with the bat in hand. It doesn’t always come off and it isn’t always going to come off but it results in a lot of sixes. Even when they were bowled out for 137 earlier in the competition they delivered nine sixes and they were 124-5 in their last match and still blasted eight sixes. They don’t exactly keep things tight in the six hitting department this season either. Twice they have coughed up nine or more sixes and even when they bowled the Chennai Super Kings out for 126 they gave up five sixes.
There is no shortage of batters in this Mumbai Indians batting unit who can hit sixes. They hit them all the way down to Kieron Pollard at six but their top four are particularly dynamic. They haven’t found the right combination with the ball yet and even if they do you get the feeling that the style the Punjab Kings are adopting that someone will get after the bowling. If a few of their batters come off they’ll take a good chunk out of the 14.5 sixes line and with Mumbai almost certain to have a decent bite of it on a small ground I very much like the over here.
Tips
Back Over 14.5 sixes for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with William Hill
Back it here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2022
