Pressure tactics : In-form Mumbai Indians will fancy their chances against nervy Punjab in Qualifier 2

Ahmedabad: The huge loss suffered by Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the hands of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Qualifier 1, and Mumbai Indians’ (MI) thrilling win over Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Eliminator means all eyes are now on Sunday’s Qualifier 2.

The winner will meet Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Tuesday’s final.The quick turnaround between these matches leaves less time for teams to come up with fresh plans but for PBKS, who are in the playoffs after 11 years, it’s now or nothing.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!If motivation is what they are looking for, Punjab need look no further than their last league match against MI, in which they neutralized pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and strolled to a chase of 187 with nine balls and seven wickets to spare. Experienced MI, however, are on a roll and will not make their task any easier. Their batting is well-rounded and heavy with hitters throughout the lineup while their bowling has a cheat code in Bumrah, whose wicket of Washington Sundar tilted the match in MI’s favour in the Eliminator.

This will be another intriguing clash and a couple of key tactical factors could tilt the scales either way. TOI lists a few key areas…

Can Arshdeep keep Bairstow quiet?

Bolstered by the addition of English short-form sensation Jonny Bairstow, whose 81 set the tone for a big score against GT, MI not only look threatening but resemble a batting unit that can blow away any opposition attack.

The onus will be on new-ball left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh and lanky rightarm pacer Kyle Jamieson to not only keep runs at bay but take wickets in the Powerplay.

MI middle-order vs Punjab spinners

Will leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal return to the team after injury? Chahal, along with leftarm spinner Harpreet Brar and allrounder Azmatullah Omarzai, face the ominous task of keeping quiet the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya and Naman Dhir.

Onus on Priyansh and Prabhsimran

The battle between the blades of Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh and swing bowler Trent Boult and Bumrah is another one to watch out for.

Can Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer rise to the occasion?

Iyer the captain has been as phenomenal as Iyer the batter. However, he has let others around him flourish, leading to reduced time at the crease. How he operates with the bat could very well dictate the tempo of the match.

Bumrah factor at the death

MI’s death bowling against the likes of Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh and others will be another pivotal matchup which decides who ends up playing RCB on Tuesday.