Mumbai Indians will face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 56th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Mumbai on Sunday. The game is another do-or-die encounter for the visitors who will at least need a big win to have any chance of cementing a place in the playoffs. In the previous meeting between both teams earlier in the competition, it was Kolkata who came out on top with a 34-run margin.
The Dinesh Karthik-led unit will come in the match high on confidence after registering an impressive seven-wicket win in their previous match against Kings XI Punjab. In the batting department, the team will be relying on in-form Shubman Gill, captain Karthik and West Indies explosive all-rounder Andre Russell to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of Sandeep Warrier, Harry Gurney and Sunil Narine to provide timely breakthroughs.
On the other hand, the home side will enter the contest eager to register a win which can make their second-spot certain on the league table. In their previous match, Mumbai registered a nail-biting win in the super over while playing against Sunrisers Hyderabad. In the batting department, the team will be relying on the likes of captain Rohit Sharma, wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock, hard-hitting Hardik Pandya and West Indies' Kieron Pollard to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the team will be relying on the likes of pacers Jasprit
Mumbai Indians will face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 56th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Mumbai on Sunday. The game is another do-or-die encounter for the visitors who will at least need a big win to have any chance of cementing a place in the playoffs. In the previous meeting between both teams earlier in the competition, it was Kolkata who came out on top with a 34-run margin.
The Dinesh Karthik-led unit will come in the match high on confidence after registering an impressive seven-wicket win in their previous match against Kings XI Punjab. In the batting department, the team will be relying on in-form Shubman Gill, captain Karthik and West Indies explosive all-rounder Andre Russell to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of Sandeep Warrier, Harry Gurney and Sunil Narine to provide timely breakthroughs.
On the other hand, the home side will enter the contest eager to register a win which can make their second-spot certain on the league table. In their previous match, Mumbai registered a nail-biting win in the super over while playing against Sunrisers Hyderabad. In the batting department, the team will be relying on the likes of captain Rohit Sharma, wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock, hard-hitting Hardik Pandya and West Indies' Kieron Pollard to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the team will be relying on the likes of pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga to produce timely breakthroughs.
Pitch Conditions: Pitch at the venue is usually a batting paradise, however in the previous match, the home side managed to defend a total of 162.
Player Recommendations:
Batsman: Shubman Gill (8.5 Cr)
First in the list of key players features Kolkata Knight Riders' Shubman Gill. The 19-year-old is proving to be a real sensation for the franchise where he has scored 287 runs in 12 innings at an average of 35.87, which included three half-centuries. In the team's previous match, Gill played a match-winning knock of 65 not out off 49 balls which earned him the Man of the Match award as well.
Wicket-keeper: Quinton de Kock (9.5 Cr)
Second in the list of key players features Mumbai Indians' Quinton de Kock. The South Africa international is the in-form batsman for the franchise as he has scored the most runs (426) for Mumbai in 13 innings at an average of 38.50, which included four half-centuries. In the team's previous match, de Kock scored a hard-fought 69 not out and played a key role in the team's win.
All-rounder: Andre Russell (11 Cr)
Third in the list of key players features Kolkata Knight Riders' Andre Russell. The West Indies international is having an excellent tournament where with the bat in hand he is the leading run-scorer for the franchise with 510 runs in 12 innings at an average of 63.75 and with a strike-rate of 205.64, best of any batsman in the competition, whereas with the ball in hand, the 31-year-old has 11 wickets in 13 outings.
Bowler: Jasprit Bumrah (9 Cr)
Last in the list of key players features Mumbai Indians' Jasprit Bumrah. The right-arm pacer is having an excellent tournament with the ball in the hand where he is the leading wicket-taker for the franchise with 15 scalps in 13 matches at a strike-rate of 19.80 and with an economy-rate of just 6.70.
Uncapped Pick: Rahul Chahar
Predicted Playing XI:
Mumbai Indians: Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper), Rohit Sharma (captain), Evin Lewis, Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Barinder Sran, Rahul Chahar, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah
Kolkata Knight Riders: Chris Lynn, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik (captain, wicket-keeper), Nitish Rana, Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla, Harry Gurney, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna
