Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians Prediction: The teams are fighting for first spot

Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians are going head to head in the Match 33 of Indian Premier League at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium on 18th April, 2024. The teams are fighting for first spot in the table. Who will win this game of cricket?

Despite the return of Liam Livingstone, Punjab Kings were not at full strength for their last game due to skipper Shikhar Dhawan's shoulder injury. He is expected to be out for a week, leaving Sam Curran to continue as stand-in skipper. Dhawan's absence will be felt in the opening order, especially with Jonny Bairstow's poor form putting pressure on the middle order batsmen. However, Punjab Kings' bowling has been performing well, so their success will depend on their batting performance in the upcoming match on Thursday.

Atharva Taide, Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Sam Curran (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shashank Singh, Liam Livingstone, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh

Rohit Sharma must have been questioning his efforts in the last game as he scored an unbeaten 105 runs from 63 balls but still ended up losing against CSK in Match 29. In the upcoming clash, he will require more support from his teammates. With a strong batting lineup consisting of Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Tim David, and Romario Shepherd, support should not be an issue. Jasprit Bumrah has shown great form with the ball in recent games, consistently maintaining low economy rates even when not taking wickets. Mohammad Nabi will provide a useful spin option, potentially keeping Piyush Chawla out of the team. Hardik Pandya and Gerald Coetzee are also expected to be threats with the ball.

Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Mohammad Nabi, Shreyas Gopal, Jasprit Bumarh, Gerald Coetzee

Mumbai Indians were on a winning streak before their loss to CSK in the previous match, but we believe they will bounce back and secure a victory in this game. Punjab Kings, who are without Shikhar Dhawan, are considered to be a weaker team, and we anticipate his absence will have a significant impact. Our prediction is that Mumbai Indians will emerge victorious in this match.