MI vs PBKS Live Score, IPL 2026: Punjab Kings opt to bowl, go with unchanged XI

• Jasprit Bumrah vs. Priyansh Arya: The master of the yorker against the season’s breakout youngster
• Suryakumar Yadav vs. Yuzvendra Chahal: A tactical battle between India’s best 360-degree batter and the league’s most successful leg-spinner

In contrast, Shreyas Iyer's Punjab Kings are riding high with an unbeaten streak. They had to drop a point in Kolkata as rain played spoilsport. Other than that, Shreyas Iyer & Co are in excellent form. Their batting lineup has aggressive openers. Iyer has provided depth in the middle-order, while the likes of Shashank Singh and Marco Jansen can score quick runs to finish the games. 

While Arshdeep Singh is a concern in the bowling department, Jansen and Vijaykumar Vyshak have stepped up on occasions. Yuzvendra Chahal has also been effective. Overall, despite their ups and downs in the bowling department, PBKS have found answers in all the games so far. 

Mumbai Indians were one of the teams that took pride in their bowling. The experience they have in the bowling department is unmatched. They also have the greatest pace bowler of this generation, Jasprit Bumrah. Yet, Mumbai have struggled with the ball. Bumrah has gone wicketless for 122 deliveries. Shardul Thakur, Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar haven’t had the best of stints yet. Mitchell Santner has just played two games. 

Then, there is batting, which has lacked finesse. While Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickleton have given MI fast starts, Tilak Varma’s poor run of form and Suryakumar Yadav’s inconsistencies have not helped them in the cause. Mumbai will look at a batting revival with Rohit set to miss the match against PBKS. 

The Wankhede Stadium pitch is traditionally one of the most batting-friendly venues in the IPL. It offers good bounce, true carry, and shorter square boundaries that favour stroke-makers, leading to high-scoring games. The average first-innings score in IPL matches here hovers around 170-180, though recent seasons have seen even higher totals.

So far, in two matches, a total of 906 runs have been scored at an average of 226.5 runs per innings. And if the trend continues, Punjab will have an advantage, thanks to their superior batting form. 

MI and PBKS have faced each other 34 times in IPL history, producing one of the most evenly balanced rivalries. Both teams have secured exactly 17 wins each, with one ending in a tie. But PBKS won the match in the second Super Over back in 2020. Even at the Wankhede, both teams have shared five wins each in 10 matches.

• Matches: 34
• MI wins: 17
• PBKS wins: 17 (including Super Over win)