Ahmedabad: A rampant Mumbai Indians will present a stern test of character for the rattled Punjab Kings in a virtual semi-final when the two teams face-off in Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
An eight-wicket hammering by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a one-sided Qualifier 1 may have eroded some amount of confidence in Shreyas Iyer's Punjab Kings, who are now in a do-or-die situation as they dream of winning a maiden IPL trophy.
On the other hand, Mumbai Indians took another stride towards a potential sixth title with a comprehensive victory, which knocked out title favourites Gujarat Titans in the Eliminator.
History says Mumbai Indians know their way around these lanes of IPL knock-outs better than either of the other two teams left in the competition and that certainly tilts the scales in favour of Hardik Pandya's side.
But coach Mahela Jayawardene's challenge is keeping his troops organized, something the former Sri Lankan captain has been able to do exceedingly well after taking over a side that finished at the bottom in the previous season.
For the Iyer-Ricky Ponting pair, the task is ensuring their players put behind the crushing defeat of their last game and channel their energies to fight the fires that have erupted particularly in the bowling line-up, where Arshdeep Singh is carrying extra pressure.
The absence of Marco Jansen and unavailability of the IPL's highest-ever wicket-taker in Yuzvendra Chahal was evident when PBKS scrambled to find options to apply pressure on a spicy wicket in Mullanpur against RCB.
At the same time, the PBKS camp could feel that that 'one bad day', collectively for their batters and especially in the knock-outs, is now behind them, and it did not rob them of an opportunity to make the final.
PBKS would also know the margin of error is getting leaner, looking at how Rohit Sharma pulverised GT's bowling attack and set up the win for MI, riding on a couple of early lifelines to produce a match-winning knock.
A holistic view would perhaps leave one without spotting any chink in the armour of Mumbai Indians, who have fired on all cylinders. They will continue to lean on their rich blend of Indian players, including Rohit, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and Pandya to come together.
MI will also be particularly pleased with how new recruits Jonny Bairstow and Richard Gleeson eased into the heat of the competition to deliver their bits, which at the end proved vital in crushing GT on a batting-friendly pitch.
After all, the outcome of the contest at the Narendra Modi stadium could well be decided how the two bowling attacks execute their plans since the surfaces at the venue have regularly produced high-scoring games.
Bumrah's exploits and a clever deployment of the ace Indian bowler across the 20 overs have been one of MI's biggest strengths this season.
While Bumrah's accuracy and guile hasn’t allowed the batters to score runs off him easily, PBKS would also want to draw from their win over MI earlier this season when, despite his measly returns, they were able to go over the line with seven wickets in hand.
Suryakumar's unmatched consistency with the bat met with a sparkling knock from Tilak Varma against the Titans.
For PBKS, it will be important to have their explosive opening pair of Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya finding their rhythm to set the tone. Agencies
Also Read: Omar Marmoush’s wonder strike vs Bournemouth ruled Goal of the Season
Also Watch: