New Delhi, June 1 Ahead of the IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians at Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, former India pacer Varun Aaron believes PBKS might have a slight advantage in Ahmedabad due to the nature of the pitch, which suits their top-order batters.
"I think the Ahmedabad surface, first of all, is going to suit Punjab. It'll suit both teams, but Punjab more as such, because they rely heavily on both the openers. I think it's good that they qualified in the top two. They've got that one game out. At least their young Indian contingent has seen a high-pressure, knockout kind of a game. And now they know what it's all about. What they have to do and what they don't have to do," Aaron said on ESPNcricinfo's Time Out show.
"I'm sure Ricky Ponting has been in there. And now they can reset and go into this game. Like Shreyas Iyer said (after Qualifier 1), they lost a battle but they haven't lost the war yet," he added.
Former Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Tom Moody, on the other hand, urged PBKS to swiftly put their earlier setback behind them — having been bowled out for just 101 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Qualifier 1 in New Chandigarh —and to refocus on the strengths that made them one of the standout teams this season. While he acknowledged that MI were “definitely favourites” going into the clash, he added that “you’d never write off Punjab,” as this team “has certainly punched above their weight.”
MI set up a Qualifier 2 clash with PBKS after eliminating Gujarat Titans (GT) in New Chandigarh on Friday, posting a commanding 228 for 5.
"Well, they've had a little bit of time to park that disappointment. And they just need to refocus on what's made them good this year. What is it that has made them really a threat throughout the year? And obviously, it's a lot of their uncapped players have punched well above their weight," Moody said.
"It's continuing to surround them full of confidence and faith. And if they do that on a good batting surface, there's no doubt they'll be competitive. But let's face it, Mumbai are going to be coming in red-hot after a good performance up in Chandigarh. And have sort of, in a way, washed away all the negative aspects of their season. Whether it be individual form, the losses that they had early on in the tournament. They're very good at the business end."
Aaron also emphasised the importance of setting the tone early in this high-stakes knockout match. He agreed with Moody that batting first would be the smarter approach, particularly for a team like PBKS with a relatively inexperienced batting line-up.
"I think Punjab would love to set the tone. Especially in a knockout game like this. I completely agree with Tom: it's always better to set the target. Again, that's also because they've got a very inexperienced batting unit. Yes, they have a good batting unit, but inexperienced. So in a game like this, pressure can really get to you. It's better you set the target, less pressure, and then let your bowlers do the rest," Aaron said.
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