Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar has pinpointed at a massive concern for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) ahead of their match against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Jaipur on Monday, May 26.
PBKS, who are in the playoffs after 11 years, can cement their spot in the top two if they beat MI in Jaipur. Both Punjab and Mumbai will be playing their last league game. While MI beat DC in their previous game. PBKS lost to DC.
Heading into this game, a lot is at stake for both teams. Meanwhile, Punjab have been hit by a massive blow ahead of this contest. Leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is all set to miss the clash with a wrist injury.
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Lets Hope Chahal Gets Fit Quickly - Sanjay Manjrekar
The other major issue with PBKS is that they failed to defend 206 against Delhi Capitals in their previous game and Manjrekar thinks this is worrying signs for the side.
"Punjab Kings’ batting looks good — that’s one area that’s fairly organised. Bowling is the worry. Let’s hope Chahal gets fit quickly because when you have someone like Omarzai bowling the 18th over and Stoinis the 20th, you leave yourself open to being defeated in tight matches. That’s an area they really need to work on," said Manjrekar on Star Sports.
Chahal even missed the game against DC, with Harpreet Brar chipping in two wickets for 41 runs. However, that was not enough to see Punjab home. Ardhseep Singh is Punjab's highest wicket-taker this season with 16 wickets from 13 games. Chahal and Marco Jansen have picked 9 wickets each, with Brar picking up seven so far.
Marco Jansen is also unavailable for this game as he had already departed for South Africa to prepare for the WTC 2025 final. With his absence, the bowling attack looks a bit thin.
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Top Two In Sight For Punjab And Mumbai
The top two are still not finalised with two more league games to go. Both Mumbai and Punjab are in with a shout of making it to the top two given they win this match. RCB plays the last league game against LSG on May 27.
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