Top five player battles to watch out for in PBKS vs MI match No. 33 in IPL 2024

Match No. 33 of the IPL 2024, PBKS vs MI, will be played on Thursday in Mullanpur, Mohali.

Two teams that are struggling to get going in the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 will face off against each other in match no. 33. Punjab Kings (PBKS), who are sitting at seventh spot, will face the eighth-ranked Mumbai Indians (MI) on April 18 (Thursday). 

Both teams have similar numbers on the points table with two wins each in six games, but the NRR has made the difference between both. The team that loses this game will be in a situation where they have to win all of their remaining games to qualify for playoffs.

PBKS vs MI: Head-to-Head

The H2H competition between the two teams has been very neck-to-neck so far. These two teams have played a total of 31 matches until now. Mumbai Indians have won 16 while Punjab Kings have won 15. But PBKS have won three out of the last five games.

PBKS vs MI: Top five player battles to watch

1. Rohit Sharma vs Kagiso Rabada

The former MI captain Rohit Sharma has been in great form and has scored most runs for his team in the ongoing IPL 2024. Rohit struck a brilliant century in the last game against CSK, but it came in a losing cause. However, he will look to carry on that momentum and do well. But he will be up against Kagiso Rabada, who has troubled him many times. Rabada has dismissed Rohit 14 times in international cricket. These are pretty good numbers. In the IPL, Rabada has dismissed Rohit twice in 25 balls, while Rohit has scored 37 runs.

2. Ishan Kishan vs Arshdeep Singh

There will be another exciting battle between two Indian youngsters. Ishan Kishan has been batting brilliantly so far and has scored runs at a quick pace. If he gets set, he takes the game away from the reach of the opposition. But he hasn’t done well against Arshdeep Singh. The left-arm pacer has dismissed Ishan three times in just 12 balls in the IPL, which is only four balls per dismissal, and the batter has scored 25 runs.

3. Suryakumar Yadav vs Harshal Patel

Suryakumar Yadav can be unstoppable, and we all know that. If he plays 15 or more balls, he can be very destructive. But among the current PBKS bowlers, he has average numbers against Harshal Patel. SKY has faced 33 balls from the pacer, scored 43 runs at a strike rate of 130.3, and got out once. Harshal with his different types of slower ones can be a headache for SKY.

4. Sam Curran vs Jasprit Bumrah

Sam Curran will be leading PBKS in Shikhar Dhawan’s absence, and as we have seen, he will be batting up the order. However, the stand-in captain will have to face Jasprit Bumrah, who is looking in great form and has been picking up wickets. Curran doesn’t have good batting numbers against him. Bumrah has dismissed Curran twice in 12 balls in the IPL, and the batter has scored 18 runs off him.

5. Jonny Bairstow vs Gerald Coetzee

Jonny Bairstow has been in poor form this season and hasn’t contributed much, which is why PBKS are struggling at the moment. He will be facing the fierce MI fast bowler Gerald Coetzee in the game. The South African pacer has been brilliant and bowls at speed. He will be a very tricky bowler to handle. Bairstow will have a big challenge for Bumrah, but Coetzee will also be very difficult to face.

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