It’s time for East vs West as Mumbai Indians take on the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Mumbai will be coming off after losing their first game against the Chennai Super Kings as Ambati Rayudu and Faf Du Plessis both turned saviours for the yellow franchise.
On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders will be playing their first match of the season. Very recently they have been joined by the services of Eoin Morgan and Pat Cummins as both players returned from the United Kingdom. Also not to forget someone like Andre Russell who is such a tremendous striker of the ball who will look to continue his CPL form in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
Also Read: IPL 2020: Match 5 – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians – Match Preview
Their captain Dinesh Karthik will also have up his game since he doesn’t really have a great captaincy record captaincy the KKR side. Well, the match is expected to hit high volumes which is why we take a look at the five players we all should watch out for in this game.
Let’s take a look at the Top 5 players to watch out for during MI vs KKR game:
1. Andre Russell
When Andre Russell takes a strike in a T20 match it is one of the scariest sights for any opposition time. The big man from Jamaicai, a colossal T20 player that has entertained everyone in his IPL career. KKR like every other year will again bank on their superstar all-rounder to deliver the goods yet again.
The defending champion of IPL ‘MVP’ award, Russell just knows how to take his team home during a tense T20 match. He is one of those players that you just can’t keep out of the game. Time and time again he has produced breathtaking performances for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
2. Saurabh Tiwary
In that match against Chennai Super Kings, we all were surprised to see someone like Saurabh Tiwary being picked over Ishan Kishan. It sounded like an epic blunder being made by the Mumbai Indian side but Tiwary proved all his critics wrong.
The batsmen from Jharkhand was the only batsmen in Mumbai side who looked comfortable batting on the Abu Dhabi pitch as he went on to score a valuable knock of 42 runs. In the game against Kolkata, it is almost certain that Tiwary will retain his place in the side. As a result, Tiwary will one of 5 players to watch out for KKR vs MI game.
3. Shubman Gill
Those who see him bat they rate him as the next big thing of Indian cricket. Shubman Gill is a potential great in the making who will be valuable for KKR this season. Gill has so far hasn’t found a permanent batting position for himself in the team but he is at his best when he bats as an opener.
The 20-year-old has so far played 27 IPL matches in which he has scored 499 runs at a strike rate of 133. Gill will be looking to stamp his authority in IPL 2020 and become a standout batsman for KKR this season.
4. Quinton De Kock
During the first game against Chennai Super Kings, Quinton looked in fine touch as he was connecting the ball much better than the likes of Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard. As a result, the newly appointed South African captain will look to play his part with the bat and will also look to be a safeguard behind the stumps.
Quinton De Kock who was brought in by Mumbai Indians in 2019 from Royal Challengers Bangalore in the transfer window will look to continue his good form in white-ball cricket this season.
5. Eoin Morgan
The World Cup-winning captain of Eoin Morgan is currently at the peak of his powers. Morgan in the last few years has improved his power hitting and can now hit sixes at will. KKR will be hoping that Morgan shares his valuable inputs with his side and also takes them home when under pressure.
Morgan in 52 IPL matches has 854 runs to his name at a strike rate of 121. He will certainly like to improve his strike rate this season and produce match-winning performances much as he does for his national team.