That's it from us today. Join us tomorrow for another important clash. It's Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Chinnaswamy stadium, with the hosts needing to win the game to remain in the competition. Here's the
Toss and teams:
R Ashwin wins the toss and opts to bowl. A couple of changes for the KXIP line-up as Yuvraj Singh and Manoj Tiwary come in at the expense of Karun Nair and Mayank Agarwal. Mujeeb hasn't yet recovered from his injury, said Ashwin. MI, meanwhile, make one change - Kieron Pollard included in place of JP Duminy.
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Suryakumar Yadav, Evin Lewis, Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Ben Cutting, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah
Kings XI Punjab (Playing XI): Lokesh Rahul(w), Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, Yuvraj Singh, Manoj Tiwary, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Mohit Sharma, Ankit Rajpoot
Build-up:
Hello and welcome to the Live Blog for the 50th match of IPL 2018, featuring Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab. One team is on the brink of exit while the other has forgotten how to win and has done its bit to facilitate a mad rush for the final two spots remaining in the play-offs race.
Having won three games in a row to keep themselves alive in the competition, Mumbai suffered a reversal against Rajasthan Royals in their previous match which has only made things tougher for them, although their positive net run rate is something that could prove crucial should multiple teams finish on 14 points. But for that to come into the picture, MI have to win their remaining two matches, starting today against Punjab.
However, what might work in MI's favour is that they are up against a team that is low on confidence, especially considering their last two performances. Conceding 245 against KKR was followed by KXIP being bowled out for a mere 88 against RCB, which had a huge bearing on their NRR. Even if they finish with 14 points, KXIP may fail to qualify for the play-offs considering their NRR which is at -0.51. While victories against MI and Chennai Super Kings will pave way for their entry into the next round, it appears they are riding against the tide, having suffered five losses in their last six games. Can they script a turnaround?
While we wait for the toss and team news, here's the preview for the game and also on the possible scenarios concerning the qualifications.