Punjab Kings opt to bowl against Mumbai, eye top-two finish in league stage

Both teams are eyeing a top-two finish, a position that offers the advantage of two opportunities to secure a berth in the final. Read further on Dynamite News:

New Delhi: Punjab Kings put five-time champions Mumbai Indians to bat first in what promises to be a high-stakes IPL 2025 league-stage clash with major playoff implications at Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Both teams are eyeing a top-two finish, a position that offers the advantage of two opportunities to secure a berth in the final.

Mumbai Indians, who endured a forgettable start to their campaign, winning only one of their first five matches, have scripted a remarkable turnaround. The five-time champions bounced back in spectacular fashion, winning seven of their next eight games to seal a playoff berth. Currently sitting fourth on the points table, Mumbai boast the best Net Run Rate (NRR) among the four qualified sides, a factor that could play a pivotal role in determining final positions.

A win over Punjab Kings could catapult Mumbai into the top spot, depending on the outcomes of other fixtures. This resurgence under Hardik Pandya’s leadership has given them a realistic shot at finishing in the top two, which would allow them to feature in Qualifier 1. Even if they lose that encounter, they’d still have a second chance to make the final by playing in Qualifier 2 against the winner of the Eliminator.

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Punjab Kings, on the other hand, have 17 points and are currently placed second. However, their recent loss to Delhi Capitals has made their top-two aspirations considerably more challenging. A defeat to MI would likely see them drop to third or even fourth, relegating them to the Eliminator scheduled for May 30. For PBKS to remain in the top two, they must defeat Mumbai and also hope that both Gujarat Titans (18 points) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (17 points) falter in their respective final matches.

PBKS vs MI: Full squads

Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (c), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Minz (wk), Ryan Rickelton (wk), Shrijith Krishnan (wk), Bevon Jacobs, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Will Jacks, Mitchell Santner, Raj Angad Bawa, Raghu Sharma, Corbin Bosch, Trent Boult, Karn Sharma, Deepak Chahar, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, VS Penmetsa, Arjun Tendulkar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Jasprit Bumrah

Punjab Kings: Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Vishnu Vinod (wk), Josh Inglis (wk), Harnoor Pannu, Pyla Avinash, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Harpreet Brar, Marco Jansen, Azmatullah Omarzai, Priyansh Arya, Aaron Hardie, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Mitch Owen, Arshdeep Singh, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Sen, Xavier Bartlett, Pravin Dubey, Kyle Jamieson

PBKS vs MI: Playing XIs

Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Josh Inglis(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Kyle Jamieson, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh

Mumbai Indians: Ryan Rickelton(w), Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah

PBKS vs MI: Toss update

Punjab Kings won the toss, elected to field first against Mumbai Indians.