Massive Wicket. Jasprit Bumrah dismissed KL Rahul for 94. KXIP 167/4, need 20 more off 9 ballsRahul hit three sixes and ten fours during his 60-ball inningsKL Rahul (93*) smacked three consecutive fours off Ben Cutting. KXIP 164/3, need 23 off 12 ballsJasprit Bumrah struck again, Marcus Stoinis gone for 1. KXIP 149/3, need 38 off 19 ballsBig Wicket. Jasprit Bumrah got rid of Aaron Finch (46). KXIP 145/2KL Rahul (76*) hit back-to-back sixes off Mayank Markande. KXIP 145/1, need 42 off 24 ballsGood over from Hardik Pandya, just six runs came off it. KXIP 127/1, in chase of 187TIME-OUTAaron Finch hit a four off Krunal Pandya. KXIP 121/1, need 66 off 36 ballsKL Rahul and Aaron Finch hit a four each off Mitchell McClenaghan. KXIP 111/1Excellent over from Jasprit Bumrah, conceded just four singles in it. KXIP 99/1, need 88 off 48 ballsfor KL Rahul off 36 balls. KXIP 95/1, need 92 off 54 ballsTidy over from Hardik Pandya, six runs came off it. KXIP 86/1, need 101 more to winGood over from Mayank Markande, seven runs came off it. KXIP 80/1, in chase of 187Good over from Krunal Pandya, gave away just seven runs. KXIP 73/1Mayank Markande conceded nine runs in his first over. KXIP 66/1, in chase of 187TIME-OUTKL Rahul (27*) hit two fours off Krunal Pandya. KXIP 57/1, in chase of 187Aaron Finch ended the Hardik Pandya over with a six. KXIP 46/1Big Wicket. Mitchell McClenaghan got rid of Chris Gayle (18). KXIP 34/1, in chase of 187Chris Gayle started with a six and a four and KL Rahul finished it off with back-to-back fours as Hardik Pandya conceded 19 runs. KXIP 28/0Brilliant start from Jasprit Bumrah, just a single came off it. KXIP 9/0, in chase of 187KL Rahul hit a six off Mitchell McClenaghan. KXIP 8/0Chris Gayle and KL Rahul start the KXIP run chase. Mitchell McClenaghan with the ball for MumbaiMohit Sharma gave away 11 runs in the final over. MI 186/8Superb day in the office for Andrew Tye -- 4/16 in four overs. MI 175/8Fourth wicket for Andrew Tye, got rid of Hardik Pandya (9). MI 170/8Mitchell McClenaghan ended the Ashwin over with a six. MI 167/7Ravichandran Ashwin struck again to dismiss Ben Cutting (4). MI 160/7Another brilliant over from Andrew Tye, gave away just three runs in it. MI 157/6Another excellent over from Ashwin. MI 154/6Ravichandran Ashwin bagged the big wicket, scalped Kieron Pollard (50 off 23 balls). MI 152/6Pollard smacked three sixes and five fours during his quick-fire 23-ball knockTIME-OUTfor Kieron Pollard off 22 balls. He smacked two fours and a six in consecutive balls off Marcus Stoinis to score 17 in it. MI 151/5Marcus Stoinis struck to dismiss Krunal Pandya (32). MI 136/5Krunal hit two sixes and a four during his 23-ball knockKieron Pollard (36* off 19 balls) smacked a six and two fours in consecutive balls off Ankit Rajpoot. MI 133/4Kieron Polland ended the Axar Patel over with a maximum. MI 116/4Big over for Mumbai. Krunal Pandya hit two sixes and a four in consecutive balls off Marcus Stoinis. MI 104/4Krunal Pandya hit back-to-back sixes off Marcus Stoinis. MI 98/4Six runs came off Axar Patel over. MI 85/4- Players have came out in the middle and play is starting againKieron Pollard hit a four off Marcus Stoinis. MI 79/4 at the halfway markBrilliant over from pacer Ankit Rajpoot. MI 72/4TIME-OUT!Big Wicket. Ankit Rajpoot got rid of Rohit Sharma (6). MI 71/4Good start from skipper Ravichandran Ashwin, gave away just five singles in it. MI 71/3Axar Patel conceded six singles in it. MI 66/3End of Powerplay. Another excellent over from Purple Cap holder Andrew Tye, two wickets & three singles in it. MI 60/3Two in two for Andrew Tye, dismissed Suryakumar Yadav for 27. MI 59/3Yadav gave Mumbai another fiery start as he smashed two sixes and three fours in his 15-ball 27 knockAndrew Tye struck again, Ishan Kishan gone for 20. MI 59/2Kishan hit two sixes and a four during his 12-ball cameoAnother big over for the hosts as Ishan Kishan smacked back-to-back sixes off Mohit Sharma. MI 57/1Brilliant over from Andrew Tye, gave away just two runs in it. MI 39/1Andrew Tye struck first ball, clean bowled Evin Lewis for 9. MI 37/1Massive over for the home side. Suryakumar Yadav smashed two sixes and couple of fours off Ankit Rajpoot. MI 37/0Evin Lewis smacked it straight over long-off off Mohit Sharma for first maximum of the night. MI 15/0Suryakumar Yadav edged one for first boundary of the match off Ankit Rajpoot. MI 7/0Here we go...Suryakumar Yadav and Evin Lewis start the Mumbai innings. Ankit Rajpoot with the ball for Kings XISuryakumar Yadav, Evin Lewis, Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (w), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Ben Cutting, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit BumrahKL Rahul (w), Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, Yuvraj Singh, Manoj Tiwary, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin (c), Andrew Tye, Mohit Sharma, Ankit RajpootKieron Pollard replaced JP DuminyYuvraj Singh and Manoj Tiwary replaced Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair
Krunal Pandya into the attack. Will bowl the last over off the powerplay.
FOUR! Beautiful use of the feet from Rahul. Comes down the wicket and lofts it to long on boundary. Falls just short to before bouncing over the fence.
DROPPED! Little width and Rahul looks to cut. He had hit it hard and Cutting timed his jump well and stuck his hand out over his head but couldn't hold on. Full marks for the attempt, unfortunately for him it didn't stick.
FOUR! Darted into the batsman and Rahul unfurls the lap sweep that evades the short fineleg fielder and runs into the boundary.
After 6 overs,Kings XI Punjab 57/1 ( Lokesh Rahul (W) 27 , Aaron Finch 11) Rahul has ensured the run-rate doesn't dip after Gayle's fall. Attacked Krunal from ball one and KXIP race past 50 in the sixth over. Finch has looked good so far.
The difference between Finch hitting a four and a Rahul hitting a four is simple. When Finch hits a ball, the sound of the bat hitting the ball echoes in the stadium. When Rahul hits, there is barely any sound. He is that sort of a player. Making less noises, having more impact.
FOUR! Was just a fraction short and Rahul transfers his weight on the backfoot, creates room and cuts it into the gap.
After 7 overs,Kings XI Punjab 66/1 ( Lokesh Rahul (W) 34 , Aaron Finch 13) After the boundary off the first ball, Rahul and Finch are happy to knock the ball around into the wide gaps since the fielding restrictions have been lifted to take five singles off the remaining deliveries. Sensible batting.
FOUR! Smart! Pandya bowls it short and wide and Rahul finds the gap once again to cut it to the point boundary. Superb cricket from Rahul.
After 8 overs,Kings XI Punjab 73/1 ( Lokesh Rahul (W) 40 , Aaron Finch 14) Rahul has raced into the 40s. The Karnataka batsman continues his impressive run with the bat and goes past Rishabh Pant's runs tally to snatch the orange cap. Seven runs off the over.
KL Rahul is now the highest run-getter in IPL 11, going past Rishabh Pant's tally of 582 runs.
Players to score 600-plus runs for KXIP in IPL: Shaun Marsh in 2008 KL RAHUL in 2018* Indian players to score 600-plus runs in an IPL season: Virat Kohli, 2016 and 2013 Robin Uthappa, 2014 Sachin Tendulkar, 2010 KL RAHUL, 2018*
After 9 overs,Kings XI Punjab 80/1 ( Lokesh Rahul (W) 43 , Aaron Finch 17) Change of tactics from Markande. Keeps it flat and bowls wicket-to-wicket or keeps it way outside off stump. Bowled a wide delivery outside off as well. Six singles and a wide off the over. Rahul goes past 600-runs in this IPL. Extraordinary.
After 10 overs,Kings XI Punjab 86/1 ( Lokesh Rahul (W) 47 , Aaron Finch 19) Hardik Pandya is brought back into the attack. Starts off with three singles off first three balls. The second wicket partnership between Rahul and Finch goes past 50-run mark. Rahul to retain strike with a single off the final ball. 101 runs required off the last 10 overs with nine wickets in hand. Tense finish beckons.
FOUR! Finch bends on his knee and sweeps powerfully past the short third man fielder.
Ben Cutting fielding at long on near to where I am sitting and can see him rubbing his hands on the towel tucked at behind his trousers. It is very humid here and should be the result of that rather than dew. Meanwhile a fitting fifty for KL Rahul. What a majestic display of batting reiterating the fact that aggression cannot model itself in one shape.
FIFTY! KL Rahul completes another dazzling half-century. Special player this, what a fantastic season he is having. 50 off 36 deliveries. KXIP dug out stands up and appluads.
After 11 overs,Kings XI Punjab 95/1 ( Lokesh Rahul (W) 50 , Aaron Finch 25) Krunal pulls out first, then Rahul's chance to ask the bowler to re-bowl. After that mini clash. Rahul get to the other end. Finch sweeps for a boundary and Rahul gets to his half-century off the last ball. 92 off 54 needed.
Ben Cutting fielding at long on near to where I am sitting and can see him rubbing his hands on the towel tucked at behind his trousers. It is very humid here and should be the result of that rather than dew.
Jasprit Bumrah has been brought back into the attack.
KL Rahul has now scored six fifties while chasing in IPL 11 - the joint most by a player in an IPL season. David Warner also scored six fifties while chasing in IPL 2016.
After 12 overs,Kings XI Punjab 99/1 ( Lokesh Rahul (W) 52 , Aaron Finch 27) Tight over from Mumbai Indians' strike bowler. Even Rahul and Finch respecting Bumrah, taking four singles off the over, but MI need wickets. These two can afford to play out Bumrah and target the rest. But if MI strike they get a chance to have a go at their out of form middle order.
FOUR! Poor lines from the McClenaghan. On the hips proving Rahul a freebie to paddle it to fine leg boundary.
FOUR! Good shot from Finch. Difficult to flat-bat the back of a length delivery over mid off for another boundary. All muscle there.
After 13 overs,Kings XI Punjab 111/1 ( Lokesh Rahul (W) 58 , Aaron Finch 33) McClenaghan runs in round the wicket to begin his third over. One boundaries each for KL and Finch as they continue their march towards the target. 12 runs off the over as KXIP go past the 100-run mark. 76 runs required off 42 balls. Asking rate 10.86.
FOUR! Hammered down the ground with immense power. Krunal did try to put his hands out to catch it but was never going to catch it.
Aaron Finch has just gone past his previous highest score of 34 in this IPL which he made against KKR at Indore.
After 14 overs,Kings XI Punjab 121/1 ( Lokesh Rahul (W) 59 , Aaron Finch 41) Krunal Pandya starts his final over. Rahul shimmies down the wicket with Pandya pulling his length back didn't allow him to go for the big shot. Boundary rider Cutting does extremely well in the field to save a couple runs for his team on the onside. 10 runs off Krunal's over, he finishes with figures of 0/36. 66 needed off the final 6.
So 66 needed off 36 balls. Some of the spectators have already given up. Nevertheless Mumbai are still very much in it. One good over and wicket and we might see a new batsman put under pressure and required run rate increasing. Yuvraj Singh seems to be the next man in.
After 15 overs,Kings XI Punjab 127/1 ( Lokesh Rahul (W) 61 , Aaron Finch 43) Hardik comes on to bowl his final over. 36 off his first three overs. Begins with a full toss that is firmly hit down to long off for a single. Couple of wayward wides before he flummoxes KL's mighty swing with a slower ball. Pandya digs it in short to surprise Finch, who isn't able to get the bat on ball trying to pull the ball. A single to deep cover and another single to Rahul to long off to end the over. Good last over. Just gave six runs off the 8 balls that he bowled. Strong finish to what has been a dismal day for Hardik. KXIP need 60 off 30 balls. Asking rate: 12 runs per over.
SIX! More like from the coaching manual. Rahul skips down the track, gets to the pitch and hammers it over long on. As easy as you like it.
The 100-run stand is up between Rahul and Finch. They have kept Punjab's chase on track. Rahul has ended the 16th over with two sixes.
Two sixes that defines KL Rahul's innings thus far. Aggression walking hand in hand with subtlety ... Pressure released.. Rohit turns to Bumrah. What next?
SIX! This is bigger and better! Gigantic hit to finish the over. This gone almost in top tier. Enormous hit.
After 16 overs,Kings XI Punjab 145/1 ( Lokesh Rahul (W) 76 , Aaron Finch 46) Markande starts off with the ball into Rahul's pads. Cramping him for room, who can tap it only for a single down the ground.Finch had some issue with helmet into the previous over, he has removed it this time around. Finch miscues his pull and top edge over the keeper allows him only a single. KL Rahul tries something fancy as he brings out the reverse scoop, gets it over the third man but Krunal pulls it back to keep it down to just two runs. But Rahul makes it KXIP's over with couple of massive sixes off the final two deliveries. 42 needed off 24 balls
OUT! Bumrah strikes! To the moon and back. Finch hit it long into Mumbai's night sky. It took ages, perhaps aeons to come down. Hardik settled nicely under it to claim the catch. Can be tough, but nerves of steel from Pandya Jr. Big wicket! Finch c Hardik Pandya b Bumrah 46(35)
OUT! Intelligent cricket from Bumrah. A well-directed short ball gets the wicket of Marcus Stoinis. He was certainly not expecting the bouncer that was angled well into the batsman, who gloves it to Ishan Kishan behind the stumps. Stoinis c Ishan Kishan b Bumrah 1(2)
Rohit turns to Bumrah and Bumrah turns the game on its head. Two wickets in one over and there is no sight of Yuvraj Singh yet. That is surprising if not shocking...
After 17 overs,Kings XI Punjab 149/3 ( Lokesh Rahul (W) 79 , Axar Patel 0) Excellent over from Bumrah picking up two quick wickets and giving just 4 runs off the 17th over is simply outstanding. Lest we forget, Krunal Pandya's superlative effort in the deep to save two runs. Something that lifts the mood off the entire team. Inspiring. KXIP need 38 off 18 balls . With Bumrah to bowl six off them. He has given 9 runs off his three overs.
Cutting introduced for the first time in the 18th over.
FOUR! Gift from Cutting to Rahul. Short and down the leg side. Rahul gets inside the line off the ball and swivels and pulls it to fine leg boundary.
FOUR! The shot is inexplicable! Rahul played almost like a left-hander, switches his grip and reverses over short third man for a boundary.
FOUR! And again! Cutting goes length and this time the only difference is he has played it fine almost over the first slip. Another boundary. Into the 90s.
Indian players to hit 30 or more sixes in an IPL season: 38 - Virat Kohli in 2016 32 - KL RAHUL in 2018* 31 - Rishabh Pant in 2018
After 18 overs,Kings XI Punjab 164/3 ( Lokesh Rahul (W) 93 , Axar Patel 1) KL Rahul is ensuring KXIP are well in it. The battle is surely between Bumrah and Rahul now after Cutting's over costs 15 runs. 23 needed off 12 deliveries.
Astonishing stuff from KL Rahul. Played fluent text book cricket for a major part of innings and then took the help of reverse sweeps to hit two boundaries...As he hit the last boundary, spectators sitting in the front row got up and started leaving. Effect of a confident batsman in a chase.
KL Rahul now holds the record of scoring most runs while chasing in an IPL season, going past David Warner's tally of 468 runs which he scored in 2016.
OUT! Is that the match!? Bumrah has got the massive wicket. KL Rahul walks back after a magnificent innings. Bumrah rolls his fingers over the ball once again as Rahul isn't able to time his shot. Holes out to long off. Cutting takes the catch. MI are still alive. KL Rahul c Cutting b Bumrah 94 (60)
Toss update : Ravichandran Ashwin wins the battle of the coin toss and he has decided to field first at the Wankhede.
OUT! Knocked'em over! What a start first-up. The magical knuckleball from Tye has outsmarted many batsmen around the world and Lewis is the latest one to fall. The ball sneaks in between the gap of bat and pad as Lewis looked to go downtown. First breakthrough for KXIP. Lewis b Andrew Tye 9(7)
OUT! Tye strikes twice! Kishan is the man who will make the long walk back. It is the knuckle ball once again! Kishan was looking to attack, went flat-batted but couldn't time it. The mid on back paddles a few steps and completes a simple catch. Ishan Kishan c Stoinis b Andrew Tye 20(12)
OUT! Tye strikes twice thrice! Twice off consecutive deliveries. Suryakumar Yadav was looking to play it around the corner, the ball takes the bottom edge not his thigh and bobs up to the keeper for simple catch. Tough luck for Surya. Suryakumar Yadav c Rahul b Andrew Tye 27(15)
OUT! Rajpoot bends his back and digs it in short. Rohit Sharma was looking to pull and slap it through mid wicket, instead the ball hits the bat hard near the maker's name with the bat twirling in his hand. Easy catch for Yuvraj at mid on. Big blow for MI. In 8.2 overs MI 71/4 Rohit c Yuvraj b Rajpoot 6(10)
OUT! Stoinis provides a timely breakthrough for KXIP. Was the slower bouncer and Krunal went for the pull, the ball was rising over his head and there was no way he was going to keep it down. Takes the tope edge giving the simplest of catches to short fine leg fielder. K Pandya c Rajpoot b Stoinis 32 (23)
OUT! Clearly Punjab missed the trick by not bowling spin to Pollard. Ashwin comes on strikes. He had bowled it wide off offstump and Pollard looked to fetch the ball and slam it down the ground. Didn't get it from the centre and ended up holing out to long off. Pollard c Finch b Ashwin 50(23)
OUT! Ashwin scalps another wicket. Was the carrom ball, outside the off stump. Cutting for some reason decided to sweep and that turned out to be fatal. Not a very wise shot. MI continue lose their way. Cutting c Axar b Ashwin 4(7)
OUT! Tye has his fourth! Need not tell you what ball it was from the wily Australian. Was wide off Hardik and he chased the ball that had no pace on it. Gets the edge to short third. Hardik Pandya c Ashwin b Andrew Tye 9(12)
OUT! It was the effort ball from McCleneghan and Gayle has fell for it. Gayle went for the pull and with the delivery climbing on the big man, he couldn't keep it down. The bat turned in his hands and Ben Cutting did well to judge the catch in the deep at deep mid wicket. Just the wicket MI wanted. Gayle c Cutting b McClenaghan 18(11)
DROPPED! Little width and Rahul looks to cut. He had hit it hard and Cutting timed his jump well and stuck his hand out over his head but couldn't hold on. Full marks for the attempt, unfortunately for him it didn't stick.
FIFTY! KL Rahul completes another dazzling half-century. Special player this, what a fantastic season he is having. 50 off 36 deliveries. KXIP dug out stands up and appluads.
OUT! Bumrah strikes! To the moon and back. Finch hit it long into Mumbai's night sky. It took ages, perhaps aeons to come down. Hardik settled nicely under it to claim the catch. Can be tough, but nerves of steel from Pandya Jr. Big wicket! Finch c Hardik Pandya b Bumrah 46(35)
OUT! Intelligent cricket from Bumrah. A well-directed short ball gets the wicket of Marcus Stoinis. He was certainly not expecting the bouncer that was angled well into the batsman, who gloves it to Ishan Kishan behind the stumps. Stoinis c Ishan Kishan b Bumrah 1(2)
OUT! Is that the match!? Bumrah has got the massive wicket. KL Rahul walks back after a magnificent innings. Bumrah rolls his fingers over the ball once again as Rahul isn't able to time his shot. Holes out to long off. Cutting takes the catch. MI are still alive. KL Rahul c Cutting b Bumrah 94 (60)
IPL 2018, Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab at the Wankhede Stadium, latest update and cricket scores: KL Rahul is ensuring KXIP are well in it. The battle is surely between Bumrah and Rahul now as Cutting's over costs 15 runs.
23 needed off 12 deliveries.
Preview: Mumbai Indians will be desperate for a win against Kings XI Punjab to keep their play-off hopes alive when they square-off in a crucial Indian Premier League (IPL) tie at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Just when Mumbai's dream of making it to the final four was on the verge of getting shattered, the Rohit Sharma-led brigade came up with a spirited show to register a hat-trick of wins before faltering against Rajasthan Royals in their previous game.
Mumbai have to win both their remaining two matches to keep their chances alive for advancing to the play-offs.
With 10 points, the three-time champions are placed at the sixth spot in the IPL points table while their opponents are a spot ahead with 12 points in their kitty.
Mumbai will once again rely on opener Suryakumar Yadav, who has been consistent with the bat, amassing 473 runs from 12 innings.
The other opener Evin Lewis also got back his touch in the last match, hitting a 42-ball 60.
However, Mumbai's middle order failed miserably including skipper Rohit.
Barring his match-winning knock against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rohit has failed to live up to the expectations this season.
The Pandya brothers -- Hardik and Krunal -- will also need to dish out something special if they are to stand any chance of making it to the final four.
In the bowling department, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik and left-arm pacer Mitchell McClenaghan will have to bowl accurately to get rid of the likes of the in-form Lokesh Rahul and Chris Gayle.
On the other hand, despite being a place ahead, Punjab lag behind Mumbai in net run-rate.
The Ravichandran Ashwin-led side, who started their IPL campaign on a rousing note, faltered in the business end of the league, losing five of their last six games.
Punjab suffered their worst defeat of the season in their last outing when Royal Challengers Bangalore hammered them by 10 wickets, a game where both the batsmen and bowlers succumbed before Kohli's men.
Punjab's batting mostly relies on openers Rahul and Gayle as the duo have accumulated 558 and 350 runs respectively.
The Punjab openers have been a major reason behind their success as the two have handed a perfect start to their side on several occasions in this year's edition.
Karun Nair has been inconsistent with 247 runs so far, while veteran Yuvraj Singh and Mayank Agarwal are yet to make their presence felt in the middle-order.
Punjab will be relieved by the fact that Aaron Finch returned to form with a 34 & 26 during the loss to Kolkata Knight Riders and RCB, respectively.
In the bowling department, Australian pacer Andrew Tye (20 wickets) and Afghan teenaged spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman (14 wickets) have been brilliant.
Pacer Ankit Rajpoot (eight wickets), off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (six wickets) and medium-pacer Mohit Sharma (six wickets) need to raise the bar against Mumbai, after going wicketless against Bangalore.
Squads:
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Mustafizur Rahman, Suryakumar Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Ishan Kishan (Wicket-keeper), Rahul Chahar, Evin Lewis, Saurabh Tiwary, Ben Cutting, Pradeep Sangwan, Jean-Paul Duminy, Tajinder Singh, Sharad Lumba, Siddhesh Lad, Aditya Tare, Mayank Markande, Akila Dananjaya, Anukul Roy, Mohsin Khan, MD Nidheesh, Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne.
Kings XI Punjab: Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin (Captain), Yuvraj Singh, Karun Nair, Lokesh Rahul (Wicket-keeper), Chris Gayle, David Miller, Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis, Mayank Agarwal, Ankit Rajpoot, Manoj Tiwary, Mohit Sharma, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Barinder Sran, Andrew Tye, Akshdeep Nath, Ben Dwarshuis, Pardeep Sahu, Mayank Dagar, Manzoor Dar
With inputs from IANS
IPL 2018 Live Score MI Vs KXIP: KL Rahul is in red-hot form.
IPL 2018 Live Match Today MI vs KKR at Wankhede Stadium: Hosts Mumbai Indians will fancy beating a floundering Kings XI Punjab when both sides face-off in a must-win match in the Indian Premier League at Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. After a string of losses initially, Mumbai's hopes of making it to the last four were revived after three straight wins, but their eight-wicket defeat against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday has again put them on the back foot.
While Mumbai are in sixth position with five wins from 12 games, a stuttering KXIP – have slumped to the fifth spot with 12 points having suffered their fourth defeat in five games.
Mumbai, with an excellent net run-rate, need to put behind the humiliation by the Royals and come out with all guns blazing against an equally jittery KXIP, who have lost their way in the second half of the tournament after starting strongly.
Mumbai's middle order was yet again exposed in the last game when their batsmen, including skipper Rohit Sharma, failed miserably.
Only Suryakumar Yadav has been among the runs on a consistent basis and MI would be pleased with the return to form of West Indian opener Evin Lewis. These two will be banked upon to provide an excellent start.
