MI vs PBKS tip-off XI: Shikhar Dhawan likely to play, Raza for Short, Jofra Archer unlikely to play

Ahead of the mouth-watering clash, Indian Express brings you the tip-off XI for the match.

Shikhar Dhawan likely to return

Punjab Kings skipper Shikhar Dhawan, who missed the last two games due to a shoulder injury, will likely make a comeback against Mumbai Indians. In the four matches Dhawan has played, he has aced the anchor role to perfection. Dhawan has amassed 233 runs with a strike rate of 146.54, including two fifties. Dhawan has posted a story on his Instagram, where he can be seen doing rehabilitation. Stand-in skipper Sam Curran against RCB said: “Shikhar is getting closer.”

Raza for Short

Sikandar Raza was the Player of the Match against Lucknow Super Giants but was left out for the RCB game. Kings may have to revisit that decision and play the all-rounder in place of Matthew Short. Raza has scored 57 and picked up one crucial wicket. Short, who has played four matches in the match has managed only 79 runs so far in the tournament.

Archer unlikely to return

Mumbai Indians pacer Jofra Archer is away from cricket for a long period of time due to his fitness issues. Archer in a recent conversation with the ESPNcricinfo, spoke about how hard he is trying to put himself in the best position possible. “Obviously the last two weeks aren’t exactly what you would hope for after being so fully active. But it’s what you expect when you’ve been off for a long time: the body’s not going to be 100 per cent straight away. There are going to be moments when it feels a lot more serious than it actually is. I don’t know which game will be the next game, but I’m just trying to put myself in the best position possible [to play].”

Venue stats

Wankhede is a chasing ground. Since the start of 2021, the teams batting second have won 22 out of the 32 night T20s played at this venue.

MI vs PBKS tip-off XI

MI XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Nehal Wadhera, Riley Meredith, Arjun Tendulkar, Hrithik Shokeen, Jason Behrendorff

Impact player – Piyush Chawla

PBKS XI: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prabhsimran Singh, Liam Livingstone, Harpreet Singh, Sikandar Raza, Jitesh Sharma (wk), M Shahrukh Khan, Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh

Impact player – Rahul Chahar

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