MI to meet Kings in intense clash

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma (right) is all ears as team mentor Sachin Tendulkar gives him some tips on the eve of the match against Kings XI Punjab on Saturday. Photo: Vivek Bendre

An intense contest is on the cards when Mumbai Indians takes on Kings XI Punjab on Sunday. The Wankhede stadium is a familiar stomping ground for the visitors, among whom strokeplayer Glenn Maxwell and pace bowler Mitchell Johnson played in the MI uniform before switching sides.

Maxwell and Johnson were part of MI in 2013 when the squad won the IPL title for the first and only time.

Following the seven-wicket defeat away to Kolkata Knight Riders in the opener, MI’s focus will be on course correction.

KXIP’s hard-hitters have the quality to put pressure on the MI bowlers, whose inability to deliver, despite abundant experience, is a big worry for the skipper.

Lasith Malinga, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha and Vinay Kumar need to get their act together quickly, otherwise more shocks are in store.

Maxwell heads the KXIP star cast, apart from Virender Sehwag, Shaun Marsh, skipper Bailey, David Miller and Wriddhiman Saha. Murali Vijay’s experience suits him as an anchor around whom the strokeplayers can cut loose.

The young Indians in the line-up, bowling allrounder Axar Patel and medium-pacers Sandeep Sharma and Anureet Singh held their nerve to keep RR in check till the halfway mark before Faulkner cut loose.

This article has been corrected for a factual error.