The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been a rollercoaster ride so far. We have already seen a couple of thrilling encounters. Match 5 will see Kolkata Knight Riders begin their campaign against defending champions Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi. We bring the match prediction from the high-profile encounter between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians.

Mumbai, who is coming to this game on the back of a defeat, will be desperate to hit the winning strides. Meanwhile, they were pretty poor on the field in their game against Chennai Super Kings, which can cost them the match again. The four-time champions have a problem of plenty going into this game especially their death bowling.

Trent Boult and James Pattinson did well but Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar and Krunal Pandya were expensive against CSK. Things became worse with Hardik Pandya not bowling as he is easing to competitive cricket after a long back. Mumbai Indians might ponder playing Nathan Coulter-Nile if he is fully fit and ready to go.

Also read: IPL 2020: Match 5 – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians – Match Preview

On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders have everything to play for in their first match. They have a star-studded batting line-up with Eoin Morgan at four, Andre Russell at five and Karthik at six. Sunil Narine and Shubham Gill will open the innings while Nitish Rana will link the top-order with the middle.

On the bowling front, Kolkata have an exciting line-up. Head coach Brendon McCullum seemed mightily impressed with the Indian variety along with Pat Cummins boost. However, they will have to solve their powerplay woes. They have just managed to pick 26 wickets in the last two seasons during powerplays – 12 in 2018 and 16 in 2019.

Date and Time: IPL 2020: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi at 7:30 PM IST

Pitch Conditions

The dew will play a major role in Abu Dhabi and as a result, the team winning the toss will like to field first. The wicket has been really slow which will bring the spinners into play.

It is extremely hard to predict a good on these pitches; however, anything over and above 150 might be challenging.

Predicted Playing XI

Kolkata Knight Riders – Sunil Narine, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (c,wk), Pat Cummins, Kuldeep Yadav, Kamlesh Nagarkoti/Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna.

Mumbai Indians – Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Saurabh Tiwary/Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Nathan Coulter-Nile/James Pattinson, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah.

Also Read: IPL 2020: Match 5- Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders- Fantasy Tips

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians – Match Prediction

The Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai enjoy a massive record over Kolkata beating them on most occasions. However, this is a new tournament and the Knight Riders will look to begin fresh and improve their record.

Considering Mumbai a slow-starter and will be low in confidence, the Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata will enter the game as the favourites to win the match.