Time: October 1, 7:30 PM IST
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Pitch report
The average first and second innings scores at Abu Dhabi read 165 and 151 respectively this season. While the highest total is 195, the highest chased is 163. The pitch, however, gets slower in the second innings. On such pitches, the best fantasy tip would be to power up your teams with as many all-rounders as you can.
Power players
Not many would have expected Mayank Agarwal to excel the way he has in the shortest format of the game. If you thought his 89 against Delhi was one-off, he squashed your critics with a magnificent innings of 106 off 50. It’s a feat you’d usually expect from Chris Gayle, but such has been Agarwal’s brilliance that the Caribbean marauder has been instead warming the benches. That said, Punjab lost every time Agarwal top scored.
Kieron Pollard hits sixes irrespective of the dimensions of the ground. Even his mishits clear the boundary lines with ease. When Mumbai needed 80 off 24, they knew Pollard had done it before and would do it again. He did so but not single-handedly. He had to take the help of a batsman nearly half his size and stature. Ishan Kishan played the innings of his life, going neck and neck with Pollard in the six-hitting prowess. The duo added 119 off 51, with Kishan getting out for 99.
KL Rahul scored a hundred the last time these teams locked horns. He is the highest run-scorer of the season, having smashed 222 runs in 3 matches. He has been in the peak of his form for the last 10 months. Given this is a star-studded contest, the fantasy players will face an uphill task to narrow down their captains and vice-captains.
Rohit Sharma has two failures in three games, but that won’t affect him. He has been hitting the ball as sweetly as ever. Just that he needs to pick his spots wisely the way he did against Kolkata. He has scored 100 runs, with the highest score of 80.
Smart picks
Mohammad Shami is the joint-highest wicket-taker. He has taken two three-wicket hauls in three matches, maintaining an economy of just under 8 RPO.
Ravi Bishnoi has so far been the smartest leg-spinner this season, varying his plans according to the batsman he faces. Against Rajasthan, he conceded 22 runs off his first 2 overs and then made amends by giving away a mere 12 off the last 2 overs – all this when Sanju Samson was reducing bowlers to a punching bag. He has taken 4 wickets in 3 matches, including a three-for.
Trent Boult has been the pick of the bowlers for Mumbai, having taken 5 wickets in 3 matches. Meanwhile, the second-highest wicket-taker is the leg-spinner Rahul Chahar. The onus of providing breakthroughs in the middle-overs is on him.
Probable XIs
Punjab: KL Rahul (c & wk), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Glenn Maxwell, Sarfaraz Khan, Jimmy Neesham, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Sheldon Cottrell, M Ashwin
Mumbai: Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, James Pattinson/Mitchell McClenaghan/Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah