MI Vs KKR, Match Preview
The MI Vs KKR fixture has been a one-sided rivalry for ages. KKR has been a side that has struggled against MI, and Rohit Sharma in particular. The two sides faced off once in the tournament, and KKR came close to getting one over MI, but failed to finish off a straightforward change.
Both sides are close to each other when it comes to wins this season. MI have won four out of eight, while KKR won three. Big names have not shown up on either side with Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill among the players struggling for consistency.
The batting has been weak, but that could be due to the slow Chennai surfaces that were encountered. Both sides however will benefit with the experience of playing in Chennai. They have played in tough conditions, and will now find things easier in the middle.
Both sides had contrasting results in their first game of the second leg. MI bottled an win against Chennai, while KKR dominated RCB.
MI Vs KKR, Team News
Rohit Sharma missed out in the game against Chennai, for unknown reasons. In case he is not injured, he could come back against his favorite side. He has a magnificent record against KKR, and with MI in a tough spot, Rohit could look to steady the shift.
Hardik Pandya was another who was out of the previous game. His reasons are also unknown, but it could be due to an injury. With Pandya not sure about his bowling, that could be another reason as to his exclusion.
KKR are unlikely to make any changes. They handed a debut to Venkatesh Iyer, and he was brilliant against Bangalore. Sunil Narine’s form may be a concern occasionally, but he has been a key member of the side over the years, and will keep his place.
MI Vs KKR, Predicted XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Venkatesh Iyer, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Andre Russell, 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Prasidh Krishna, 11 Varun Chakravarthy.
Mumbai Indians: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt)/Anmolpreet Singh, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Ishan Kishan, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Hardik Pandya/Saurabh Tiwary, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Adam Milne, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.
MI Vs KKR, Players to Watch out for
Varun Chakravarthy
Varun Chakravarthy showed why the selectors selected him in the World Cup squad with a brilliant spell. He strangled the Bangalore batters, and worked with the KKR unit collectively, to help KKR set up an easy win. KKR are known to struggle against MI, but Varun Chakravarthy could be a crucial factor in changing KKRs fortunes in a tough fixture. He could help strangle batters, and change the game in the middle-overs.
Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma sat out of the first game, and missed out on a tough fixture. He has been in good form across formats, and will hope to carry his Test form into the IPL. He is likely to be back for the upcoming fixture, and MI will benefit widely with his leadership, and batting talent.
MI Vs KKR, Pitch Report
Abu Dhabi has hosted only one game this season, and it saw KKR dominate. The bowlers strangled the batters, and restricted RCB to 92. The pitch looked slow at times, but KKR erased any demons in the pitch by chasing the target down in ten overs. The surface is balanced, and can bring in various factors. Chasing sides might benefit, as batting second could be easier. Dew is also a factor, and that could make things easier for the sides batting second.
