Punjab Kings will square off against Mumbai Indians in the 33rd match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Thursday. Led by stand-in captain Sam Curran, Punjab Kings will aim to return to winning ways after losing their last two matches. With four points from six matches, the Kings are placed seventh in the IPL 2024 standings. Similarly, Mumbai Indians will look to bounce back after succumbing to a 20-run defeat against Chennai Super Kings in their previous outing.

Having registered two wins and four losses, the Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai are languishing eighth in the IPL 2024 standings.

Ahead of another crucial IPL 2024 clash, we look at the predicted XIs of both sides.

PBKS Predicted XI

Atharva Taide

Young Atharva Taide is expected to retain his place in Punjab Kings’ playing XI in the absence of the injured Shikhar Dhawan. Atharva, who replaced Shikhar in their last game, scored 15 off 12 balls and will look to make the most of his opportunity against MI.

Jonny Bairstow

Jonny Bairstow has failed to convert his starts into a big score in IPL 2024. The England cricketer has scored just 96 runs in six matches at an average of 16 but PBKS will be banking on Bairstow to come good and show his true potential with the bat on Thursday.

Sam Curran

England all-rounder Sam Curran will be the stand-in captain in place of Dhawan. Apart from his leadership, PBKS will need Curran to contribute with both bat and ball. Curran has picked up eight wickets and scored 126 runs in six games so far.

Jitesh Sharma

Advertisement

Wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma showed glimpses of returning to form in the last PBKS game. Batting in the middle-order, Jitesh scored 29 off 24 balls to help PBKS post a respectable total and he will be looking to have a bigger impact against MI.

Shashank Singh

Shashank Singh has grabbed the limelight with his impressive batting performances this season. Shashank has already amassed 146 runs in six matches at an average of 73 and a strike rate of 184.81. He will aim to continue his scintillating form.

Liam Livingstone

Flamboyant all-rounder Liam Livingstone has been an integral member of Punjab Kings since 2022. The hard-hitting batter has shown good form in IPL 2024, having scored 104 runs in four games at an average of 52 and a strike rate of 160. He has also bagged one wicket with his off-spin.

Ashutosh Sharma

Ashutosh Sharma has been one of the more consistent performers for PBKS this season. The 25-year-old has slammed 95 runs in three matches at a brilliant strike rate of 197.92 while also maintaining an average of 47.50 and could be a game-changer against MI.

Harpreet Brar

Left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar has been economical for the Kings in IPL 2024. Apart from bowling with an economy of 7.20, Brar has also scalped four wickets in six matches and will look to add to his tally in Mullanpur.

Harshal Patel

Right-arm pacer Harshal Patel has provided key breakthroughs for PBKS in IPL 2024. Bowling in the middle and death overs, Harshal has claimed seven wickets in six matches and will look to restrict the MI batters in their upcoming fixture.

Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada has been the joint-leading wicket-taker for the Kings this season so far. The South African pacer has already bagged nine wickets in six games at an economy of 7.95. He will aim to provide early breakthroughs against a star-studded MI’s batting line-up.

Arshdeep Singh

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh was expensive against Rajasthan Royals in Punjab’s last game but will look to bounce back after he finished with figures of 1/45 in his 3.5 overs. While Arshdeep has conceded a few runs in the death overs, he has picked up nine wickets – the joint most by a Punjab player along with Rabada.

Impact Sub

Prabhsimran Singh

MI Predicted XI

Rohit Sharma

Former MI captain Rohit Sharma scored his second century in the IPL in his team’s previous outing. Chasing 207 against CSK, Rohit smashed an unbeaten 63-ball 105 at the Wankhede Stadium. While MI failed to chase down the target, they will hope Rohit can continue his form against PBKS.

Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper)

Star wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has been MI’s second-highest run-getter this season. Opening the batting, Ishan has amassed 184 runs in six matches at an average of 30.67 and a strike rate of 178.64.

Suryakumar Yadav

The world’s top-ranked T20I batter, Suryakumar Yadav, has been inconsistent for MI this season. The swashbuckling batter has recorded scores of 0, 52, 0 in IPL 2024 so far and MI will need Suryakumar to fire against PBKS to bag two crucial points.

Hardik Pandya (captain)

MI’s newly-appointed captain Hardik Pandya will aim to contribute with both bat and ball on Thursday. The Indian star all-rounder has scored 131 runs and bagged three wickets in six matches so far.

Tilak Varma

Tilak Varma has been an integral member of MI’s playing XI since 2022. The southpaw has already accumulated 174 runs in six matches this season, including a 34-ball 64 against SRH.

Tim David

Hard-hitting Tim David could play a pivotal role against PBKS in Mullanpur. The 28-year-old has scored 128 runs in six games at an average of 42.67 and a strike rate of 156.09.

Romario Shepherd

Romario Shepherd could be a game-changer against a struggling PBKS outfit. While the bowling all-rounder has smashed 55 runs at a strike rate of 305.55 this season, MI will expect more from him on the bowling front as he looks to add to his solitary wicket in IPL 2024.

Mohammad Nabi

Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi adds variety to MI’s bowling department. The former Afghanistan captain bowls right-arm off-spin and can also score quick-fire runs in the lower middle order. Since his IPL debut in 2017, Nabi has picked up 13 wickets and scored 184 runs.

Shreyas Gopal

Shreyas Gopal is another quality inclusion in Mumbai Indians’ playing XI. The right-arm off-spinner dismissed CSK’s star opener Rachin Ravindra in his only over in MI’s last game. Apart from his off-spin, Gopal can also score some valuable runs. In the IPL, the 30-year-old has bagged 49 wickets and scored 180 runs.

Jasprit Bumrah

MI’s bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been the second-leading wicket-taker in IPL 2024. The right-arm pacer has picked 10 wickets in six matches at an impressive economy of 6.08.

Gerald Coetzee

South African fast bowler Gerald Coetzee has been one of the top wicket-takers for MI this season. In his debut season, the right-arm pacer has already scalped nine wickets in six games at an average of 25.66.

Impact Sub

Akash Madhwal