With the Punjab Kings set to face the Mumbai Indians, former India opener Sunil Gavaskar believes the side in the middle of the table should use the remaining stretch to give promising youngsters a real look. The matchup arrives at a moment when Punjab are trying to halt a rough patch, while Mumbai’s campaign has already slipped out of playoff reach—leaving them with a clear opportunity to experiment.
Gavaskar’s focus was on the mindset shift that often follows elimination from playoff contention. He argued that once a team is no longer chasing qualification, it becomes the right time to look inward and assess reserve talent, especially players who haven’t yet had the chance to show what they can do under pressure. For Mumbai, he suggested, the final games should be used to test younger options and evaluate how they fit into the squad’s plans.
Speaking on Star Sports’ Cricket Live, Gavaskar said Punjab Kings will be desperate to regain momentum after a four-game losing streak. He explained that once a side drops consecutive matches, doubt begins to creep in, and then the team starts questioning whether changes are needed—either in the playing XI or in the way they approach games. In that context, he felt Punjab’s priority would be simple: get back to winning.
Turning to Mumbai, Gavaskar said he remains a supporter of the franchise, and with the playoffs no longer in reach, he would like to see them provide opportunities to younger players. He stressed that the decision about which individuals to leave out is ultimately for the team management, but maintained that Mumbai do have several young reserve names who have not yet had sufficient opportunities to prove their abilities. His recommendation was to offer them chances in the remaining three matches and gauge their performances, which could help the franchise prepare more effectively for the next season.
In line with that idea, Gavaskar pointed towards a pool of less frequently used talent that Mumbai could explore over their last three outings. Raj Angad Bawa, Danish Malewar, wicketkeeper-batter Robin Minz, Krish Bhagat, and Raghu Sharma are among the options who could be pushed into action as the side looks to broaden its choices ahead of the next campaign.
Squads
Mumbai Indians
- Ryan Rickelton (w), Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Will Jacks, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, AM Ghazanfar, Trent Boult, Raghu Sharma, Mayank Rawat, Robin Minz, Shardul Thakur, Quinton de Kock, Hardik Pandya, Keshav Maharaj, Ashwani Kumar, Mayank Markande, Sherfane Rutherford, Danish Malewar, Krish Bhagat, Mohammed Salahuddin Izhar
Punjab Kings
- Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (w), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Ben Dwarshuis, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar, Yash Thakur, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Praveen Dubey, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Lockie Ferguson, Azmatullah Omarzai, Nehal Wadhera, Mitchell Owen, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyla Avinash, Vishal Nishad
