Both teams have eight points from 10 matches, but Punjab are fifth in terms of net run rate. Meanwhile, defending champions Mumbai are seventh. Apart from the two teams, Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders have eight points each, complicating their playoff qualification for the tournament. Therefore, it is essential for both the teams to win today’s match. Because both teams know that if they lose one of the remaining matches, they will be eliminated from the playoffs. Therefore, it will be an extremely tough fight to be born in Abu Dhabi today.
Mumbai, who were looking for a hat-trick, have now conceded a hat-trick. They have not won any of the three games they have played since arriving in the UAE. The poor performance of the middle order is engulfing Mumbai. While Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kok are off to a good start, middle-order batsmen Suryakumar Yadav, Ishant Kishan, Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya have not been able to capitalize on the start. Krunal Pandya is also disappointing.
The only consolation for Mumbai is that the pace attack led by Jaspreet Bumra and Trent Bolt is doing well. Along with them, Adam Milne is doing better. But it is also worrying that Rahul Chahar will not be able to continue his first-quarter lead in the spin category.
Punjab, meanwhile, won the toss and elected to bat against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Mohammad Shami and Arshdeep Singh excel in bowling. Spinner Ravi Bishnoi is also promising. But KL Rahul’s over-expectation in batting is a setback for Punjab, which will have a significant impact on Punjab’s innings in a match where Rahul is out quickly. The team has a large list of greats like Chris Gayle, Aidan Markram and Nicholas Puran, but their instability is a problem for the team. Deepak Hooda also can’t do much in the middle order. Rahul’s partner Mayank Agarwal is doing better. The performance of both will be crucial in today’s match.
In direct terms, Mumbai has a slight advantage. In 27 matches so far, the two teams have met head-to-head, with Mumbai winning 14 and Punjab winning 13. In the last match, Punjab beat Mumbai by nine wickets.
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