The defending champions, Mumbai Indians have found their rhythm in the second half of the tournament. They see a good chance to reach the playoffs, particularly after defeating KKR in their last match. Meanwhile, the Kolkata Knight Riders are in a precarious position in the points table; even a single loss will grab the playoff opportunity from them. Find below the Probable Final Playing 11 KKR vs MI for their second clash.
Head-to- Head:
Overall: Matches – 22
Mumbai Indians – 17
Kolkata Knight Riders – 5
Punters Heavy On: Mumbai Indians
Venue:
Eden Gardens will witness the second battle between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians.
Total matches | 66 |
Matches won batting first | 24 |
Matches won bowling first | 42 |
Average 1st Inns scores | 155 |
Average 2nd Inns scores | 143 |
Highest total recorded | 204/2 (18.2 Ov) by KXIP vs KKR |
Lowest total recorded | 49/10 (9.4 Ov) by RCB vs KKR |
Highest score chased | 204/2 (18.2 Ov) by KXIP vs KKR |
Lowest score defended | 114/4 (20 Ov) by CSK vs KKR |
(The above stats only include the IPL matches played at Eden Gardens)
Eden Gardens is a low-mid scoring pitch; a score of 165-170 can be expected. KKR will hope to win MI in their home ground.
How do the teams stack up?
kolkata Knight Riders
The Kolkata Knight Riders have performed hum and haw this season. Shuffling the batting order blew up in KKR’s face in their last match against Mumbai. Shubman Gill, who was fantabulous at position 4 failed to perform well with Chris Lynn. The batting lineup faltered except for Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana and Dinesh Karthik. KKR’s bowling was close but no cigar. Except for Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, other bowlers conceded a lot of runs. KKR needs to amend their batting and bowling performance to win against MI. If Shivam Mavi is fit, he will return else the squad is likely to be the same.
Mumbai Indians
The Mumbai Indians are flying high on confidence after consecutive victories. Suryakumar Yadav, the star player of Mumbai Indians continues his match-winning form. Evin Lewis managed to redress his shortcomings and scored well against KKR in the last match. The middle order is slightly shaky as Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma are yet to work on their batting position and skills. Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya are doing a fine job as all-rounders. JP Duminy is likely to be dropped out and this might give Ben Cutting a chance to bat at No.7. Mumbai Indians’ bowling in the last against KKR was splendid. Mustafizur Rahman might be a good option to fill the fourth position in the overseas slot. This will further strengthen MI’s bowling.
Probable Final Playing 11 KKR vs MI
KKR : Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (C & WK), Andre Russell, Shivam Mavi/ Prasidh Krishna, Mitchell Johnson, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav
Players to watch out for:Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik, Andre Russell
MI : Suryakumar Yadav, Evin Lewis, Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma (capt), Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Ben Cutting, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah, Mustafizur Rahman
Players to watch out for:Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya