Following a win and a loss on the road, the Shers finally return home for a clash against Mumbai Indians at Mohali’s IS Bindra Stadium on Saturday. Kings XI Punjab would be hopeful of regaining that winning feeling and build momentum with two home games in front of their supporters.

Photo: SPORTZPICS

Aamne Saamne  

While the opponents hold the upper hand in the overall head-to-head battle, they would be mindful of the fact that Kings XI were unbeaten at Mohali last season, winning all three games. Last season the Kings came off second best in two close encounters against Mumbai Indians, however with a rejuvenated batting line-up and home advantage, the Shers might hold the edge this time around.

Batting da Baadshah

Kings XI Punjab’s Caribbean star Chris Gayle has built on his International form at this season’s VIVO Indian Premier League, averaging 49.50 after two games. The left-handed batsman also enjoys playing at Mohali, scoring a century and a quickfire 63 in the two games he played there last season, and would be the home side’s main man in the batting department.

For Mumbai Indians, veteran batsman Yuvraj Singh would be their batting mainstay, having scored a half century on his MI debut. Ashwin and co. would therefore be aiming to get the dangerous left-hander out early to limit the visitors’ scoring capacity.

Bowling de Kings

Kings XI Punjab’s mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman bowled brilliantly in their opening game against the Rajasthan Royals, picking up the crucial wickets of Ben Stokes and Rahul Tripathi while maintaining a healthy economy rate just north of 7.5. After missing out that second game against Kolkata, the team management would now be keen to play Mujeeb on a Mohali track that historically favours the turning ball.

Mumbai Indians would be thanking marquee pacer Jasprit Bumrah for getting them over the line in their last outing against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The 25-year-old managed three scalps while giving away only 20 runs, including the wickets of Virat Kohli and Shimron Hetmyer. Heading into the game against Kings XI, the MI camp would be looking at Bumrah to step up once again if they are to get across the line.

Mudde ki Baat

For KXIP, a victory would go a long way to cleanse the sour taste of losing away from home to Kolkata. Secondly, going into a run of three consecutive home games, Ashwin and his team would be targeting this period to pick up maximum points. Their opening pair of KL Rahul and Gayle might hold the key to the home side’s recording their second win of the campaign, with a little help from the spin department and a strong middle order.

For the visitors, they would be keen on building onto Thursday’s victory with a good showing at Mohali. Pacers Bumrah and Lasith Malinga hold the key for Mumbai keeping the dangerous Gayle quiet; and getting a second victory on the road. MI would also be hoping for last season’s star performer Suryakumar Yadav to fire, following a quiet first two games so far.

Yaad Rakhiyo

• Andrew Tye has the best bowling average of 16.91 in the IPL.
• Chris Gayle is just two sixes away from recording 300 sixes in the tournament.
• Ankit Rajpoot has dismissed Rohit Sharma twice; and has conceded only 11 runs to the MI captain.

Probable XI

KL Rahul (wk), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Sarfaraz Khan, David Miller, Mandeep Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin (c), Andrew Tye, Mohammed Shami, Ankit Rajpoot, Mujeeb ur Rahman.

Kings XI Punjab batted valiantly in the game against Kolkata Knight Riders, and would therefore not want to make any changes to that setup. In the bowling department however, the Shers might want to play both Mujeeb and Tye to ensure they have both their star bowlers from the previous season on the field. But playing both Tye and Mujeeb could leave the side unbalanced, which was an issue last year as well. Rajpoot, meanwhile, could be slotted in ahead of Chakravarthy due to his brilliant track record against Rohit Sharma.

NOTE: The aforementioned line-up is an educated guess at best, and the final decision rests with the captain and the team management depending on various external factors.