Mumbai Indians host Kolkata Knight Riders in a reverse fixture in Abu Dhabi on Friday (October 16). MI are placed second in the points table at the moment, while KKR are placed fourth. Mumbai beat Kolkata in a rather one-sided fixture in their first encounter at the same venue. Mumbai always has had the wood over Kolkata in the IPL. These two teams face-off in another exciting clash, with this game being a crucial one for KKR keeping in mind the future of their IPL season. More about the MI vs KKR encounter in detail below.
KKR Face Their IPL Nemesis Mumbai
KKR lost yet another one-sided contest against RC in their last game. Their players have been performing inconsistently in the IPL season so far and that on show against RCB as well. Their bowlers leaked 83 runs in their last five overs from being in an advantageous position in the game. Misfields and dropped catches added to the misery as RCB firmed their grip on the game. Varun Chakravarty bowled an economical spell. However, the team missed Sunil Narine as AB De Villiers ran carnage in Sharjah. Virat Kohli played an intelligent innings as he gave the strike to De Villiers who smacked it all around the part.
With the scoreboard pressure, the KKR batting line-up crumbled. KKR’s big three have failed to step up together in the tournament, which has been the biggest worry for their team. Against Mumbai, the trio has to stand-up if they are to win the contest. Andre Russell’s form has been another major talking point as well. Another point of worry for KKr is their big-money buy Pat Cummins showing no form at all in this season with the ball.
Mumbai are fresh off a win heading into the match. They beat Delhi Capitals in a top of the table clash, proving that they are the best side by far in the IPL. Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock at the top followed by Suryakumar Yadav at number three, Mumbai boast of of the best top three which has been performing in the tournament. The tiro of Harik, Krunal and Pollard gives them the firepower and the overall balance to the team.
Their pace attack is as good as that of Delhi Capitals if not better. With a win in their previous game and all their players in form, Mumbai are better placed than their opponents heading into this game.
Head to Head: Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders
In 26 matches overall, Mumbai have beaten KKR 20 times. They boast the best record against KKR among all the other teams. Kolkata won just six games against their nemesis. Mumbai beat Kolkata by 49 runs when the teams met for the first time in this IPL season.
Pitch & Weather Conditions
The pitches have already started getting lower and slower. They will get even lower and slower as the tournament progresses. More and more captains are choosing to bat first since the second half of the league phase has started. The norm is expected to remain the same with dew no longer playing a crucial role in the outcome of the game. The toss thus becomes that much more crucial now as teams are looking to bat first.
Team News
Having secured a comfortable win against Delhi in their last game, Mumbai will not look to tinker with the side. Meanwhile, there is no confirmation regarding Sunil Narine’s availability in this game. If he is available, he will come into straight as Tom Banton’s replacement. If not KKR would also go in with the same side. It’s their strategies which needs more of a change than their personnel.
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Squads
Kolkata Knight Riders
Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), Sunil Narine, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Nikhil Naik, Pat Cummins, Kuldeep Yadav, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Prasidh Krishna, Rahul Tripathi, Siddhesh Lad, Chris Green, Lockie Ferguson, Rinku Singh, Ali Khan, Tom Banton, Varun Chakravarthy, Manimaran Siddharth
Mumbai Indians
Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Saurabh Tiwary, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, James Pattinson, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Chris Lynn, Aditya Tare, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jayant Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Mohsin Khan, Sherfane Rutherford, Digvijay Deshmukh, Prince Balwant Rai
Also Read: IPL 2020: Match 32- Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders- Fantasy Tips