IPL 2023 | Predicted Playing XI of Mumbai Indians Against Punjab Kings

image-lgqk66nwIshan Kishan has been in decent form with the bat in this tournament (Source: AP Photo)

Mumbai Indians (MI) will play the sixth match of their IPL 2023 campaign against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday, 22nd April. The match will start at 7:30 PM IST. 

This will be an important match for the Mumbai Indians as they look to stretch their winning run from the last three matches. They started the tournament with two consecutive defeats, but since then, they have made a comeback of sorts winning all three matches that have followed. 

Moving forward in this article, we will try and take a sneak peek at the team combinations and try to predict the starting XI that the Mumbai Indians might field for this match. 



Openers

Rohit Sharma (c) and Ishan Kishan (wk)

The opening duo have done a decent job for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023. They have scored 226 runs together, and that too at an excellent strike rate. Both Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma are determined to give a flashy start to the team so that the lower order can go about their job comfortably. The Mumbai team management will not be looking to mend something that is not broken, so Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan will open the innings for them. 

Top Order

Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Cameron Green

The top half of the MI middle order looks very solid in the presence of these three players. The team management is using them as per the situation of the match. They can use either of the three in any positions at 3, 4 and 5. Although SKY has not been at his best in the tournament so far, he looked in decent touch, at least in the last two innings. 

Tilak Varma has been the most vital cog in this middle-order, and there is no chance that MI might think of dropping him. Cameron Green did not fire at the beginning of the tournament, but with his batting performance on a challenging track in the last match, Green has cemented his place in the starting XI.

Lower Order

Tim David, Arjun Tendulkar, Nehal Wadhera

Tim David is yet to bat in this tournament. But his role is well-defined in the team, and he is their designated finisher. They use him cleverly and will support him for most of the tournament. 

Arjun Tendulkar was impressed with his pin-point Yorkers in the last match. Besides his bowling, Arjun Tendulkar can be a powerful hitter lower down the order. He has good hitting abilities, and the team management will give his all-around efficiency for a long time. 

Nehal Wadhera has yet to be tested too much. But he has been kept there as someone who can provide them with powerful finishes, and by the looks of it, the team is ready to back for the long run. So, these three players are going to play against the Kings.

Bowlers

Hrithik Shokeen, Piyush Chawla, Jason Behrendorff

For this match, the Mumbai Indians will be going for Hrithik Shoken and Piyush Chawla in the starting XI if they bat first. This is because, if required, the two spinners can do a decent job for the team in the batting. So, Chawla and Shokeen make it to the starting XI. 

Jason Behrendorff made a good comeback in the last match. His bowling displays in the previous game will earn him a spot ahead of Duan Jansen for this match. Riley Meredith will accompany him while they bowl, and that seems to sum up the most probable playing twelve for the Mumbai Indians for the match against Punjab Kings

Probable Impact Players of Mumbai Indians

  • Riley Meredith
  • Ramandeep Singh
  • Kumar Kartikeya
  • Shams Mulani
  • Vishnu Vinod