IPL 5 - Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians - Match Preview
Kings XI Punjab will be up against Mumbai Indians today, in the 33rd fixture of the fifth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali.
The two teams met on Sunday in Mumbai, and against all odds, Kings XI defeated the home team and grabbed two crucial points. Therefore, the Indians will be geared up to take revenge for their previous loss today.
Both, Mumbai and Punjab have struggled to found momentum in the current season as they are placed at the sixth and seventh spots respectively. This is an extremely important stage of the tournament for both the teams as they need to get going before it gets
too late for them.
It remains to be seen if the captain and coach of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Adam-Gilchrist-c918 is able to take part in this fixture or not as he has missed the last two matches because of a hamstring strain. The former Australian cricketer is considered to be one of the most
destructive batsmen of the modern day game and has the ability to change the course of the match within a short span of time. Therefore, the home team will be hoping that their leader can get back to full fitness before this important tie against Mumbai.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DJ-Hussey-c1380, who has led Punjab in the absence of Gilchrist, expressed that his team needs to kick-on if it wants to qualify for the finals of the event.
"We are sitting probably sixth or seventh on the league table. If we just keep collecting the wins here we can make it to the finals. If we http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Adrian-Roger-Kirshaw-Pierson-c42135 to good basic cricket we can shock a few teams," said Hussey.
The young fast bowler from Kings XI, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Parvinder-Awana-c80792, seems to be the find of the tournament for Gilchrist and company. The rookie has performed exceptionally well in the last two matches and impressed cricket analysts with his ability to surprise batsmen
with his pace. The right-arm fast bowler picked up four scalps against a strong batting line-up like Royal Challengers Bangalore and also hurt Mumbai by dismantling two of its most important players, Rohit Sharma and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KA-Pollard-c1754.
Gilchrist is hopeful that the fast bowler will continue to impress in today’s match, although he does not have very good communication skills.
"He is an exciting prospect though I am not sure he understands all the words I say (referring to language problem)," the skipper expressed.
On the other side of the coin, Mumbai started the tournament as favourites but they are reeling at number six in the points table. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SL-Malinga-c2540, which goes to show what a valuable
asset he is for Mumbai.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820 wants to qualify for the play-off stage of the event,
the right-handed batsman needs to fire big time.
Although, Kings XI have a psychological edge over the visitors but their captain understands that the Indians are a dangerous unit, never easy to beat.
"Mumbai is a dangerous side. They are an all-round side with quality players and star-studded line-up," said Gilchrist.
The pitch at Mohali is usually supportive for the seam bowlers, so let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope for a close finish.
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