IPL 2018: Match 50, Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab - Toss Report
Credits: BCCI

Kings XI Punjab won the toss and decided to field first against Mumbai Indians in the fiftieth match of the Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

Here is what the captains said:

Ravichandran Ashwin:

“We are bowling first. LOoks like there’s dew here, we would like to bowl first and chase the total down. I expected some dip, that’s what has happened. We have lost three matches on the bounce, hopefully, we will stop that rot. Two changes for us – Yuvraj Singh and Manoj Tiwary are back, they replace Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair. Mujeeb is still not fit, hopefully, he will be back for the next match.”

Rohit Sharma:

“We were bowling first as well. Dew is a factor, but we are not worried about it, we need to play some good cricket. I have been in this position over the last few years and I know how to handle the situation. The team has handled it better than me, I think we have done well considering how we played in the first half of the tournament. We are not thinking about the Delhi match at the moment. Just one change for us, Kieron Pollard replaces JP Duminy”

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 Preview:

Who would have thought that Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab would take themselves on in this situation after making such contrasting start to their seasons. The Kings XI started the season with a bang, notching up five wins in their first six games to make home in the top-half of the points table. However, the second half is turning out to be a nightmare for them. They lost five of the next six to squander their advantage and are now in danger of missing out on a playoff spot.

On the other hand, defending champions Mumbai Indians started their title-defence in disastrous manner. They managed to win just two of their opening six games. However, their yearly late-resurgence saw them winning three games on the trot which put them in contention for a playoff spot. A defeat in the last game against Rajasthan Royals have dealt a huge blow to their playoff hopes but a win in the upcoming game will once again see them joining a handful of teams who are vying for the two remaining playoff berths.

Here is the playing elevens:

Kings XI Punjab:

Lokesh Rahul(w), Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, Yuvraj Singh, Manoj Tiwary, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Mohit Sharma, Ankit Rajpoot

Mumbai Indians:

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Suryakumar Yadav, Evin Lewis, Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Ben Cutting, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah

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