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Following three wins on the trot, Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians (MI) are gearing up for their forthcoming assignment. The most decorated side in the IPL will lock horns with a faltering Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the iconic at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday, April 22. 

After having endured two back-to-back defeats in their initial games, MI have well and truly bounced back with impressive wins against DC, KKR and SRH. On the other hand, PBKS have faltered without regular skipper Shikhar Dhawan and have won thrice with as many losses in their six outings thus far. 

Moreover, the Kings are largely dependent on Shikhar for the big runs in the top order and have seemingly struggled in his absence. However, with Matthew Short and Liam Livingstone in the XI, PBKS will pin their hopes on the duo to fire in the forthcoming match against the Mumbai-based franchise.

On the flip side, Mumbai’s batting has significantly improved, as displayed in the last few matches. Star all-rounder Cameron Green showed a lot of composure in the last match against SRH, whereas opener Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma once again lived up to their potential.

The five-time winners currently stand in the sixth place in the points table whereas Punjab are right behind the former, placed seventh. Speaking about their head-to-head records in the last five outings, Punjab have the slight upper hand with three wins to Mumbai’s two. 

It remains to be seen if Shikhar makes his way back into the XI as that is an outside possibility owing to his shoulder injury. Both sides will be gunning to obtain results in their favour and climb up the points table. An exciting clash is on the cards as the two sides cross swords in Saturday’s second double header clash which will be played in Mumbai.