🏏IPL 2023: Match 46 - PBKS vs MI on 03/05/2023 at 7:30 PM IST 🏏

🏏IPL 2023: Match 46 - PBKS vs MI at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali on 03/05/2023 at 7:30 PM IST 🏏

Tag & Logo Credit: Sevenstreaks

Mumbai Indians aim to join the ten-point traffic jam against Punjab Kings

The Kings are in sixth place while Mumbai are seventh, behind only by two points as the race for the playoffs heats up

Two explosive batting units go head to head

On Sunday, two teams chased down 200-plus targets in thrilling fashion and broadened the pool of playoffs contenders in IPL 2023. Punjab Kings are one of five teams with identical records - five wins from nine games - ranging from No. 2 to No 6 on the table and separated only by net run rate, while Mumbai Indians are just outside that group, with eight points and a game in hand.

Kings face Mumbai for the second time this season, on Wednesday, in what looks like a clash of similarly-matched teams with similar strengths and weaknesses. Both are explosive batting units that go hard from start to finish, and both are among the weaker bowling attacks in the competition. Mumbai have the worst economy rate and third-worst bowling average of any team this season, and Kings have the worst average and third-worst economy rate.

Their previous meeting played true to type. Kings set a target of 215, and Mumbai were well in it until Arshdeep Singh dismissed a red-hot Suryakumar Yadav in the 18th over of the chase. It could have gone either way, and Wednesday's meeting could go either way as well. Just be sure to bring an umbrella if you're planning to be in Mohali - to guard yourself from big hits as well as the real threat of rain.

Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians Pitch Report

The previous game played at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium saw the Super Giants notching up the second-highest score in IPL history. Mohali's pitch is a nightmare for the bowlers as the ball comes nicely onto the bat. Both teams will be looking to win the toss and cross the 200-run mark in the first innings.

Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians Weather Forecast

Light showers are expected in Mohali on Wednesday. The temperature is expected to hover between 21 and 24 degrees Celsius, with around 20% chance of rain during the game.

Pitch and conditions - Rain and sixes forecast

The first three games in Mohali this season produced first-innings totals ranging from 153 to 191 while the fourth one saw Lucknow Super Giants ransack 257 for 5, the second-highest total in IPL history. While teams batting first have won three out of four games at the PCA Stadium, the team winning the toss may prefer to chase given the threat of rain and revised targets.

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Form guide -  (last five completed games, most recent first)

Punjab Kings WLWLW

Mumbai Indians WLLWW

Team news

Chris Jordan has joined Mumbai's squad for the remainder of the IPL season, but it is as yet unknown which overseas player he has replaced.

Impact player strategy

Punjab Kings

Harpreet Brar played in Kings' last match against CSK but did not get to bowl or bat, with his left-arm spin going unused against a left-hander-heavy line-up. There is a chance it may happen again if Mumbai's left-handers spend a good amount of time in the middle, but Kings have Sikandar Raza to match up against them, and like having the insurance of Brar's hitting ability down the order.

Kings likely XII 1 Prabhsimran Singh, 2 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 3 Atharva Taide, 4 Liam Livingstone, 5 Sam Curran, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 M Shahrukh Khan, 8 Sikandar Raza, 9 Harpreet Brar, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Rahul Chahar, 12 Arshdeep Singh

Mumbai Indians

There is a chance Mumbai could bring in the offspinner Hrithik Shokeen to match up against the three left-handers expected to feature in Kings' top order - Shikhar Dhawan, Atharva Taide and Sam Curran.

Mumbai likely XII 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Cameron Green, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Tim David, 7 Nehal Wadhera, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Hrithik Shokeen/Kumar Kartikeya, 11 Riley Meredith/Jason Behrendorff, 12 Arshad Khan

Stats that matter

• Kings have been the weakest spin-bowling team of IPL 2023, by a distance. Their spinners have taken the fewest wickets (12) of any team, and have the worst average by far (51.26, with Delhi Capitals a distant second-worst at 28.66) and the second-worst economy rate (8.75, better only than Royal Challengers Bangalore's 9.24).
• Part of the reason for this is that Mohali hasn't been a great venue for the spinners, who have averaged 33.69 here while conceding 8.39 runs to the over. Spinners have a worse average only in Guwahati (34.62) and Bengaluru (34.56) this season, and a worse or equally bad economy rate only in Bengaluru (9.28), Ahmedabad (8.86), Kolkata (8.85) and Guwahati (8.39).
• Rahul Chahar has endured his worst IPL season in terms of wicket-taking. While he averaged in the 20s in each of his previous five seasons, he has averaged 84.33 this year, taking just three wickets in 186 balls so far.
• Arshdeep has bowled four balls to Ishan Kishan in T20s and dismissed him twice.
• Jitesh Sharma (220.00) and Tim David (214.54) have the third- and fourth-best death-overs (17-20) strike rates of all batters who have faced at least 24 balls in this phase during IPL 2023. Only Vijay Shankar (290.00) and MS Dhoni (225.00) have done better.

On the back of morale boosting 200+ successful chases in IPL's 999th and 1000th match respectively, Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians would aim to take down another playoffs' contender in their reverse clash at Mohali on Wednesday (May 3), weather permitting.
PBKS are flying high after having gunned down a 201-target against CSK at Chepauk off the last ball, while Mumbai stunned Rajasthan Royals by chasing down an improbable 213 - with 32 required off the final 12 deliveries - courtesy Tim David's brutal death-overs hitting that included a hat-trick of last over sixes. As such, IPL 2023 has been set alight with a highly volatile points table. Five teams, starting right from second-placed RR, are tied on 10 points each with an identical five wins in nine outings and separated only on NRR. Punjab Kings are the last of that lot. Their opponents, Mumbai Indians are just below them, with eight points at no. 7 but also have the cushion of an additional game in hand. As the race for playoffs intensifies, both teams can ill afford to take their foot off the pedal.
Over the years, Punjab have more often than not found itself at the receiving end of close encounters that eventually costs them a playoffs spot. However, the Shikhar Dhawan-led side is finally finding ways to reverse the trend this year to collect crucial points. That said, their campaign has still lacked consistency - the results getting partly affected due to unavailability of core personnel at various points. They've won three out of their last five now, but those victories have been punctuated by defeats. Add to it a worrisome home record - they've won just one of the four in Mohali thus far - where they'd want to sign off with a W before shifting base to Dharamsala next.
Much like PBKS, Mumbai would also be pleased with their batting depth coming to the fore of late to win them games. The perennial slow starters of IPL claimed a thrilling win at home to snap their two-match losing streak without having to sub in their impact player in a 200+ chase, which is a definite plus. But their bowling has been a real concern. They've especially tinkered with their pace-bowling attack often and, besides leggie Piyush Chawla's tally of 13, don't have a lot to write home about.
Given how their campaigns have ebbed and flowed, neither of the two teams go into the contest as real favourites. But, in an uncharacteristically cold Mohali, the conditions could give Punjab's in-form pace duo of Arshdeep Singh and Kagiso Rabada an ever so slight advantage.

What to expect: The sun hasn't been out much the whole of this week and there's a real nip in the air from consistent overnight showers. There's also some rain forecast in the lead-up to the match tomorrow. Teams batting first have won three out of the four encounters in Mohali this season, with the hosts being successful in just one game.