The Kolkata Knight Riders meet the Mumbai Indians once again in the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League but this time at their home ground- the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The equation for Mumbai qualifying for the Play-offs is simple keep winning all their matches without worrying about anything else. A win in previous two encounters has helped them gain some kind of momentum and MI would definitely look to carry it all the way into the remaining matches of the tournament.
KKR though, can afford to have some breathing room, but they would not like to lose a game here and make life extremely difficult for themselves for the rest of the tournament. The fourth position at the points tally is also at stake in this game and KKR, who are presently at No. 4 would not want to give away the advantage.
However, with no wins against Mumbai since 2015, MI will feel a lot more confident about themselves going into this game. Rohit Sharma returns to his favorite venue in the match, and MI fans can expect The Hitman show tonight at the Eden Gardens. Sharma averages over 50 in the 11 matches played here with 3 half centuries and a hundred. MI won’t mind another one of those.
Suryakumar Yadav has been the man in form for MI and has had a great season at the top of the order and a shall expect him to continue the way he has for a good start in the power play. For the Kolkata Knight Riders, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa who is coming on the back of a half century knock against MI and Dinesh Karthik hold the key. Sunil Narine’s cameos at the top has also been helpful for KKR and they have won games quite easily whenever he has given them the impetus in the power play overs.
As far as the bowling is concerned, it could be a battle between the spin trio of KKR and the pace attack of MI. Given the conditions at Kolkata, the KKR attack look far more formidable at this venue. KKR spinners – Narine, Kuldeep and Piyush have picked up more than half of the total wickets picked. MI pacers on the other hand have been one of the best in business. Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah could be the spearheads tonight for MI.
Here is another fascinating contest from Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Broadcast starts at 20:00 Hours (IST).
