PBKS VS MI IPL 2024: Who will pick Maximum Wickets in Punjab vs Mumbai?

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In Match 33 of the IPL 2024, Punjab Kings will lock horns with Mumbai Indians at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Thursday (April 18).

These two franchises have faced each other 31 times in the past. The five-time champions have got the edge over Punjab by a winning ratio of 16 to 15 respectively. In their last three duels, Punjab won three times.

PBKS are having a very inconsistent season in this IPL with only two wins in the six matches and sitting at eighth in the table. The visitors also have similar luck, as they start their campaign with a hattrick of losses. MI is positioned at ninth with the same points as the hosts.

IPL 2024 PBKS vs MI: Bowling Squad Comparison

The hosts have a quite pace-heavy bowling unit, as they heavily lack seasoned spinners. In the pace attack, Punjab will rely upon Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Sam Curran and Harshal Patel. The spin department will be led by Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar.

The Indians' bowling unit has more experienced options in their hands. Jasprit Bumrah and Gerald Coetzee are leading the pace-battery for MI this season and being assisted by the likes of Akash Madhwal, Romario Shepherd, Kwena Maphaka and Hardik Pandya. Piyush Chawla is the only veteran spinner in the squad. Other spinners areMohammad Nabi, Shams Mulani, Shreyas Gopal and Tilak Verma.

IPL 2024 PBKS vs MI: Who will be the Highest Wicket-takers?

Arshdeep Singh (PBKS): The 25-year-old Indian fast bowler has been a crucial part of the Punjab bowling squad across the seasons and is currently the highest wicket-taker for Punjab jointly with Kagiso Rabada with 9 wickets in six matches. Singh has 66 wickets in IPL career. His ability to bowl in the death overs, particularly in limited-over cricket, made him the preferred bowler for PBKS in the slog overs.

Kagiso Rabada (PBKS): The South African right-arm fast bowler is Punjab's second-highest wicket-taker, with 9 in six matches. Rabada has 115 IPL wickets in 75 outings and won the Purple Cap with DC in 2020, taking 30 wickets along the way. He will be a huge help against the Indians in the powerplay and death overs.

Jasprit Bumrah (MI): After missing the previous IPL season, he returned in IPL 2024 and is now second in the race for the Purple cap. The 31-year-old Indian fast bowler claimed 10 wickets in six IPL games this season and has 155 wickets in his career, with an amazing 7.33 economy rate. His economical bowling, paired with an extraordinary rate of putting precise yorkers, made him a dangerous death-over bowler. This skill will be useful in the fight against the Kings.

Gerald Coetzee (MI): Coetzee has nine wickets in six matches this season, making him MI's second-highest wicket-taker. Despite being new to the IPL, the 23-year-old South African has shown promise. As with any other tall fast bowler, he is concerned about injury. Coetzee may be a wonderful asset to South African cricket if he can stay fit in the future.

After losing to RR in their last match, MI will try hard to get back to winning while the same is expected from the PBKS also, as they lost their last two matches. A fierce battle is expected from these two teams as it is high time for both of them to fight back to keep up the dream of playing in the play-offs of IPL 2024.