IPL 2024 Contest: Predictions for Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians' Top Favorites
Article:
Punjab Kings aim to regroup and rectify their loss against Rajasthan Royals when they face Mumbai Indians at the MY Singh International Cricket Stadium on Thursday. Despite Mumbai Indians enjoying notable success as a franchise, their head-to-head record with Punjab Kings is remarkably even, with Punjab winning four of the last six matches. Here's a betting preview for this intriguing encounter.
Venue: MY Singh International Cricket StadiumBet Now: IPL 2024
Betting Preview:
The Punjab Kings have the opportunity to level their head-to-head record at 16-all with a victory. This triumph would also propel them to six points in the standings. While their recent performance has been inconsistent, they previously scored a formidable 214/3 against Mumbai but ultimately succumbed by six wickets, and narrowly failed to defend 147 against Rajasthan, losing on the penultimate ball. Arshdeep Singh, in spite of his nine wickets, has an elevated economy rate of 9.24 runs per over.
Punjab's strength is their ability to take wickets frequently, spearheading the league with 43 wickets, despite an overall expensive economy rate of 9.10 runs per over. However, their powerplay performance has left room for improvement, capturing only nine wickets in this phase and failing to take any in the crucial early overs against Rajasthan.
Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, have struggled so far with only two victories from six games, go up against strong opponents like RCB, CSK, and SRH. Their most disappointing outing being their failed chase of 169 against Gujarat Titans from a promising position. Although Mumbai has an impressive average scoring rate of 192, their bowling has been a weak point, taking only 33 wickets so far, with Jasprit Bumrah accounting for ten scalps single-handedly. Their powerplay struggles are noteworthy, with their average score of 64 runs conceding 52 and capturing merely eight wickets in this critical early phase.
The clash between these teams promises a thrilling spectacle, with their head-to-head 16-15 in favor of Mumbai Indians. Mumbai's seasoned squad will be confident against an unpredictable Punjab side.
Prediction: Mumbai Indians to win at 1.47Bet Now: IPL 2024
Players to Watch: Punjab wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma has struggled in the IPL thus far, averaging just 17.66 this season. However, he presents an opportunity to redeem himself, averaging 104 against Mumbai with a sky-high strike-rate of 212. Several challenges may arise for him, including Mumbai pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who has taken 20 wickets against Punjab, and ten this season, with a best of 5/21.
Key Stats:
- Mumbai scored the most powerplay runs in six out of their last seven matches, while Punjab achieved this in only three.
- Punjab recorded their highest opening partnership in just one of their last eight games.
- Shikhar Dhawan has an average of 105 with the bat against the bowling of Jasprit Bumrah (1/105 from 87 balls).
- Arshdeep Singh kept Rohit Sharma's score in check during their brief history, registering figures of 1/15 from 16 balls.
- Ishan Kishan has been dismissed three times from just 12 balls delivered by Arshdeep but scored 25 runs from the other nine.
- Suryakumar Yadav struck 52 runs from the 19 balls he faced against Sam Curran in the IPL.
- Neither Jonny Bairstow nor Liam Livingstone has been Punjab's top-scorer in any IPL 2024 innings.
Best Bets:
- Best Bet: Mumbai Indians to score the most runs in the first 6 overs at 1.66.
- Value Bet: Jasprit Bumrah to be Mumbai Indians' top bowler at 4.50.
In the upcoming match at the MY Singh International Cricket Stadium, Punjab Kings aim to level their head-to-head record with Mumbai Indians and improve their standings, despite the inconsistency in their recent performance. Mumbai Indians, despite struggling in the season so far, have a notable advantage with a history of success against Punjab Kings, especially in powerplay overs, where they have scored the most runs in six out of their last seven matches, compared to Punjab's three. This statistic suggests that Mumbai Indians might score more runs in the first 6 overs of the match. Additionally, Jasprit Bumrah, a key player for Mumbai Indians, has taken 20 wickets against Punjab Kings and offers a good value bet for the top Mumbai Indians bowler.
