Former Indian cricketer Saba Karim believes the Mumbai Indians (MI) have the upper hand heading into the Qualifier 2 match against Punjab Kings (PBKS). He highlighted MI’s strong momentum and solid bowling attack as key factors. Additionally, Karim expressed hope for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans, suggesting it would be a significant moment if Virat Kohli’s team wins the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the first time.
Karim made these comments at the Fit India ‘Sundays on Cycle’ initiative in Delhi.
Discussing the MI-PBKS clash, Karim stated, “With the momentum that Mumbai Indians have, I think it will be favourable for their victory. They have a good team with strong bowling. They appear more dominant in their current form.”
PBKS, despite leading the league stage with nine wins, suffered a heavy defeat against RCB in their previous match, while MI secured a victory against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the eliminator, defending a score of 228 runs.
Commenting on RCB potentially winning the title in Virat Kohli’s 18th season, Saba said, “I hope so, his performance has been so good. He has been working so hard, and it would be good for RCB fans if they win the IPL this time around.”
Virat Kohli has scored 614 runs in 14 matches, with an average of 55.81 and a strike rate exceeding 146. He is currently the fifth-highest run-scorer this season.
Saba also discussed India’s upcoming tour of England, consisting of five Tests, which he believes will provide an opportunity for a young team to shine under the leadership of newly appointed red-ball captain Shubman Gill.
He stated, “We have a fine bench strength. Youngsters are getting a chance, what is better than that? There is a young captain. It is a good chance for these youngsters to perform well.”
The tour begins on June 20 with the first Test at Leeds, marking the start of India’s new ICC World Test Championship cycle (2025-27) and a new era in Indian cricket. The youthful Indian side will face a tough challenge in England.
Saba also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with 14-year-old batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who had a breakthrough IPL season, and acknowledged the youngster’s talent.
Suryavanshi played seven matches for RR, scoring 252 runs with a strike rate of 206.55, including the fastest century by an Indian in IPL history, and also became the youngest centurion in T20 cricket.
India squad for England tour: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc, wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav