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IPL 10: Inconsistent KXIP seek consistency

Punjab have no option but to beat Mumbai Indians in their own den today if they want to keep their Play-offs hopes alive

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KXIP bowlers (from left) Rahul Tewatia, Mohit Sharma and Axar Patel take a selfie with team co-owner Preity Zinta after beating Kolkata Knight Riders in a crucial game at the PCA Stadium in Mohali on Tuesday night
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One team has already entered the Play-offs. The other is just hanging by the skin of its teeth and hoping to enter the last four.

One team has played like real champions – and they are two-time winners of IPL – at home in particular, winning five of their six games, four of which have come chasing.

The other has had a mixed tournament. They ought to have won at least two more matches and placed themselves in a better position than find themselves in a situation in which they had to win their last three matches, of which one was successfully done on Tuesday night against the formidable Kolkata Knight Riders in their last home game.

Mumbai Indians face no serious threat, with almost everything going their way. But Kings XI Punjab would blame themselves for the position they are in. It is in this backdrop that they will expect to produce a repeat of their 14-run victory against KKR when they face the Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians in the last league match at the Wankhede here on Thursday evening.

While their bowlers helped KXIP defend successfully a total of 167, with medium-pacer Mohit Sharma using the slower ones impressively and Sandeep Sharma, the yorkers in the last over, the same bowlers have been a disappointing lot when it came to defending even higher totals against Gujarat Lions and Mumbai Indians in their 'home matches'.

What's more, both these matches saw their highest run-getter in the season Hashim Amla score his only two T20 hundreds and still end up on the losing side, as first Mumbai and Gujarat met their respective targets of 199 and 190 with with ease. Blame it on flat, lifeless pitches or whatever.

In the absence of Amla, who has returned to South Africa to prepare with the national squad for the Champions Trophy, Punjab will rely more on their captain Glenn Maxwell.

Maxwell has not really set the IPL 2017 afire with the bat. He has not scored a fifty this season, his highest being 44 not out in their first match this season against Rising Pune Supergiant. But he has been impressive with his captaincy, backing to the hilt his players even if they may on the wrong line of discipline. Maxwell has evolved as a captain this IPL and is a serious competition for David Warner for Australia captaincy, should selectors decide to give Steve Smith a break from that role.

The momentum is with Kings XI, who have won three of their last four matches. They have also been an inconsistent side, going through a four defeats on the trot at one stage, after having begun on a high in their first two games.

Mumbai, with 18 points, suffered a rare loss in Hyderabad on Monday. They would have been better off with the defeat coming after their qualification rather than in the Play-offs.
Perhaps, Kings XI are picking up the heat when it matters most. Their bowlers have given them the hope of making the Play-offs. The onus is on their batsmen to put up scores against the strongest bowling attack in this IPL.

Kings XI have to win their next two matches including at the Wankhede to reach 16 points and wait for the Net Run Rate to decide who sneaks into the top four. A loss on Thursday will mean end of the tournament for them, making their last game in Pune on Sunday of mere academic interest.

HEAD TO HEAD

Played: 19, MI: 10, KXIP: 9

PUNTER POINT

MI: 4/6
KXIP: 6/5

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