It will be the clash of the titans as defending champions Mumbai Indians face Kolkata Knight Riders at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. Both teams will be desperate for a win as we approach the business end of IPL 2020 in the UAE.
Kolkata Knight Riders will have everything to play for on to their place in the top four. Sunil Narine’s bowling action and Andre Russell’s injury aren’t soothing well with the franchise just yet. The batting has also blown hot and cold and Dinesh Karthik & Co will set their eyes on this game.
The Knight Riders don’t enjoy a good record against Mumbai Indians, which will enough to charge them up to give their best. Abu Dhabi has been a good hunting ground for Kolkata Knight Riders winning three of their four games here. However, the only loss came against the defending champions.
Also Read:Â IPL 2020: Match 32- Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders- Fantasy Tips, Predicted XI, Top Fantasy TipsÂ
On the other hand, Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene urged his boys to show more intent on the field which can be worrying signs for Kolkata. A team with five wins from seven will certainly come hard against Kolkata Knight Riders with an eye on the top spot in the points table.
Otherwise, Mumbai Indians have looked like they are carrying the same form from the last season. Everyone in the team has stood up when necessary and made contributions to the team. They will want another complete effort from the boys to match up with Delhi Capitals.
IPL 2020: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians at Sheikh Zayed Stadium on October 16 (Friday) from 7:30 PM IST
Pitch Conditions
Scores have ranged around the 160-run mark for all teams, except Mumbai Indians, and the pitches are getting slower. Rohit Sharma & Co have posted three 190+ scores batting first. Dew hasn’t played much part and is likely to continue.
Teams winning the toss will look to bat first.
Predicted Playing XI
Mumbai Indians: Â Quinton de Kock (wk), Rohit Sharma (C), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, James Pattinson, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah
Kolkata Knight Riders: Shubhman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik (C, wk), Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Varun Chakravarthy, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna/Kuldeep Yadav
Match Prediction – Who will win the match?
Mumbai Indians have completely dominated Kolkata Knight Riders whenever both teams have locked horns. They have won 10 of their last 11 encounters. The only time KKR did manage to beat MI in the last five years was when Andre Russell had hit his batting peak.
The defending champions are likely to keep up their dominating run against Kolkata and surge to the top of the points table.
