The stakes are high and both teams are sweating over injuries to their key players ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 eliminator. MI look more settled considering their win over Gujarat Titans (GT) in the eliminator despite a few chinks in the armour. But, Punjab Kings (PBKS) have more problems to fix after a horrendous batting display at home against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Qualifier 1.
PBKS suffered a batting collapse but it is unlikely to cause major changes in the lineup. The pitch at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad is batting friendly and young Musheer Khan is unlikely to come in as an impact player. Shreyas Iyer scored an unbeaten 97 in their previous game at the venue.
The big question mark is over Yuzvendra Chahal's availability. Chahal bowled in the nets on the eve of the big match. He may play in the game even if he is not 100 per cent fit. His record against MI is impressive with 29 wickets from 20 games at an average of 21.24, including one four-wicket haul. His economy rate against five-time IPL champions is eight runs per over.
PBKS playing XI plus impact player -
Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar/Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Kyle Jamieson, Yuzvendra Chahal/Praveen Dubey
On the other hand, MI's Deepak Chahar and Richard Gleeson have been hamstring issues. Gleeson left midway during the last over against GT whereas Chahar missed out. If Gleeson and Chahar don't regain fitness, MI may continue to back Ashwani Kumar and bring in Karn Sharma. If they want an overseas pacer, Reece Topley may play his first game of the season.
MI Playing XI plus impact player -
Rohit Sharma, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Raj Bawa/Karn Sharma, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Richard Gleeson/Reece Topley, Ashwani Kumar
MI vs PBKS Pitch Report -
The pitch is once again expected to be batting friendly. Rain may play spoilsport in the second innings which may lead to captain winning the toss opting to field first. However, it is highly likely that we get a complete game despite rain interruptions.
MI vs PBKS Full Squads:
MI Squad: Rohit Sharma, Jonny Bairstow(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Raj Bawa, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Richard Gleeson, Ashwani Kumar, Robin Minz, Raghu Sharma, Krishnan Shrijith, Reece Topley, Karn Sharma, Deepak Chahar, Charith Asalanka, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Arjun Tendulkar, Bevon Jacobs, Satyanarayana Raju
PBKS Squad: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Kyle Jamieson, Arshdeep Singh, Musheer Naushad Khan, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Praveen Dubey, Xavier Bartlett, Suryansh Shedge, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vishnu Vinod, Yash Thakur, Aaron Hardie, Kuldeep Sen, Mitchell Owen, Harnoor Singh, Pyla Avinash