Both KKR and MI have lost their last two matches, one of them against RR.
Preview
Mumbai Indians (MI) will be in a must-win situation when they take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 51st match of the IPL 2024. The good thing for them is that the match is set to take place at Wankehede Stadium in Mumbai. There is another positive for the home side – their head-to-head record. The five-time champions have dominated the two-time champions in the faceoffs. Despite that, MI would not fancy their chances to beat KKR in the upcoming match.
MI had a lot of contributors with the bat in the first few matches in the league. However, in the last five games, none of their batters have been consistent, barring Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera to a certain extent. If that is not enough, their bowling is highly dependent on Jasprit Bumrah. The opponents realize he is the threat, play him out, and target other bowlers to score runs. At Wankhede Stadium, the home side needs to give their best performance to stay alive in the tournament.
On the other hand, the only better aspect of KKR has been their batting. At the top, they have a reliant pair like Sunil Narine and Phil Salt. Lower down the order, they have great finishers like Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, and Rinku Singh. In the bowling department, Narine has been the decisive factor in their success. Given the strength and performances of both sides, KKR would start as favorites. But the head-to-head record nearly evens out the advantage.
Match Information
Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Match 51
Probable PlayingXI
Mumbai Indians
Rohit Sharma, SA Yadav, Tilak Varma, HH Pandya(C), Tim David, N Wadhera, Mohammad Nabi, Piyush Chawla, Ishan Kishan, G Coetzee, JJ Bumrah
Bench: Dewald Brevis, SZ Mulani, SS Sharma, Naman Dhir, K Kartikeya, Akash Mandwaal, N Thushara, A Kamboj, Shreyas Gopal, Romario Shepherd, AS Tendulkar, L Wood, Kwena Maphaka, HM Desai, Vishnu Vinod, JP Behrendorff, D Madushanka
Kolkata Knight Riders
Angkrish Raghuvanshi, S Iyer(C), RK Singh, Ramandeep Singh, SP Narine, VR Iyer, AD Russell, PD Salt, Mitchell Starc, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy
Bench: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, KS Bharat, Manish Pandey, N Rana, Sakib Hussain, Sherfane Rutherford, AS Roy, C Sakariya, D Chameera, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, H Rana, Suyash Sharma, Allah Mohammad
Injury News
Weather Report: Scattered Clouds
Win Prediction: Mumbai Indians
Pitch Condition: Batting
Avg 1st Inning Score: 188
Pitch Report
Captains
Sunil Narine has been in phenomenal form as a player. He has won matches for KKR both as a batter and as a bowler. The West Indian has improved his fielding as well. It wouldn’t be wrong to regard Narine to be at the peak of his career in the league.
Suryakumar Yadav has had a mixed bag in the league so far. The pattern has been such that for every good match, he has had a bad match. Considering that he did not have a good game against LSG, Yadav can score big against KKR at home.
Philip Salt has been one of the best players in the league so far. More often than not, he has given fiery starts to the side. The England batter has been good even as a wicketkeeper. When on song, he can singlehandedly win matches for KKR.
Top
Andre Russell has been good as both batter and bowler this season. In a couple of matches, he has won matches for his side as a bowler. On many occasions, he has been at his best as a batter. Russell is a valuable player for any side he plays.
Tilak Varma has been an underrated performer this season. The Southpaw has been one of the best batters in the middle overs phase and has gone under the radar due to the team losing. Against KKR, he will be the key to the success of the home side.
Jasprit Bumrah has been the best bowler of the season by some margin. The str pacer is feared by the batters in a season where the bowlers have been hammered for fun. Given the context of the match, he will be the key for MI to stay alive in the league.
Budget
Ramandeep Singh has been a good finisher this season. Whenever he played a fine cameo, KKR won the matches. Lower down the order, he can make a difference with his explosive cameos. Not to forget, he has taken some good catches as a fielder.
Vaibhav Arora has been one of the best bowlers in the powerplay overs. He can swing the ball either way and take wickets in the first few overs of the game. More often than not, KKR has taken wickets in the first few overs due to his spell.
Nuwan Thushara bowled well in the last game against LSG. After going expensive in the game against DC, the Sri Lankan pacer showed what he can do as a bowler. The right-arm pacer can bowl with the new ball and take wickets with the old ball.
Avoid Player Message
Venkatesh Iyer KKR | ALL –8.5
Harshit Rana KKR | BOWL – 7.5
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