Mumbai Indians have not had the best of tournaments so far but are still in with a chance to qualify for the playoffs given that they win all their matches from here on and some of the other results go their way as well. Kings XI Punjab on the other hand has already qualified to the next stage and would be looking to carry on the winning momentum into the next round of the tournament.

Here is a look at the players to watch out for in the match between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians:

Mumbai Indians:

Rohit Sharma: Rohit Sharma is a class act although most times he is unable to convert his starts into something big but when he gets going it is treat to the naked eye. Sharma’s form in the tournament has been little more than ordinary and he needs to get back to his best batting form if Mumbai wants to capitalize on any outside chance of qualifying to the next round.

Michael Hussey: Hussey has had a terrible start to the season not only leading into the tournament but also in the first four matches of the tournament itself where he only managed to score 30 runs. But in the last match he has just showed glimpses of his old form and can be a player who can take the match away from the opposition.

Harbhajan Singh: Singh is a quality offspinner who has taken more than four hundred Test wickets and is no mug with the ball in hand in the shortest format of the game. He can come in and bowl in the powerplays as well as in the death and can provide the important breakthroughs with the ball.

J J Bumrah: Bumrah has been quite effective with the ball in hand and bowls a heavy ball. He has an unusual action which can work in his favour and also gets the ball to come back in a long way. Bumrah can pick up early wickets with the ball in hand which can peg back the Kings XI Punjab.


Kings XI Punjab:

Glen Maxwell: Maxwell so far has been the player of the tournament by scoring more than 500 runs and also the player who has hit the maximum sixes in the tournament. No ground is big enough when Maxwell gets going and can give the bowlers a good hiding on his day.

David Miller: If Maxwell has been the player of the tournament then Miller is not far behind as he has had an equally good tournament with the bat and also like Maxwell can hit the ball a long way. Miller and Maxwell duo has done the job for Kings XI Punjab.

Sandeep Sharma: Sandeep Sharma has troubled most of the opening batsmen in the tournament and has the ability to strike early on in the innings. Sharma can swing the ball both ways which is always a good quality to have and can be the bowler to watch out for in the match against Mumbai Indians.

Akshar Patel: Akshar Patel has been a real find for the Kings XI Punjab both with the bat and ball in hand as he continues to make a strong case for himself to be a part of the playing eleven. Patel’s slow leftarm spin can come in handy in conditions conducive for spin bowling. Patel is a complete package as he can bat and bowl, not to mention his acrobatics in the field.

Photo: iplt20.com

By Sajal Kumar Patra
Indian Sports News Network