The Mumbai Indians, along with Chennai Super Kings, are the elites of the IPL world who flaunt their rich “winning culture” with pride and also derive strength and confidence from it.

It is this swag that is the biggest threat to Punjab Kings when they take on Hardik Pandya’s Mumbai in the Qualifier 2 contest of IPL 2025 in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

Needless to say that a lot is at stake. While Mumbai are hunting for their sixth crown, Punjab are desperate for their first. In such a high-pressure game, often it’s the confidence that can turn out to be the difference-maker.

That’s what Mumbai, who gunned down Gujarat Titans in the Eliminator on Friday, are banking on.

“Well, when you have a winning culture, it is easier to try and have that same thing going through. Even when you get a new group, we still have a very experienced co-group within our ranks,” claimed Mumbai head coach Mahela Jayawardene ahead of the key contest.

“So, the conversations that we have, planning and everything, is about how can we get better, how can we push through,” the Lankan great added.

One can understand Mahela’s words when one looks at Mumbai’s unmatched core group of players. When you have Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah in your team, you know you have men who have seen it all. Over the years, they have scaled the highest peaks and have also gone through the deepest pits. So it’s obvious that the team would expect their core to stand up in such crunch situations. Like Rohit did against the Titans on Friday, delivering an innings of authority when the team needed it most.

Can the Punjab Kings counter such confidence? To say they can’t will be incorrect. But then, they will have to play out of their skins, match Mumbai move for move, man for man, if they are to emerge victorious on Sunday. It will not be easy. Not just because Mumbai have one of the strongest teams, but because Punjab might be badly scarred from the humiliation they suffered at the hands of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru the other day. Getting bundled out for just 101 surely leaves a bitter taste and more.

It’s the subplots, the battles within the war, that Punjab will have to win to get past Mumbai. Arshdeep Singh will have to bowl better than Bumrah, Prabhsimran Singh needs to get more boundaries than Rohit and Shreyas Iyer will have to outsmart Hardik in the duel of captains. Shreyas will also have to bat better than Suryakumar Yadav in the middle order.

These are no easy tasks and Punjab will surely know that. Coach Ricky Ponting is a shrewd man who has won tougher battles. Will he have some master plan up his sleeves? He better does.