IPL 2024, Match 51: Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders Match Preview

Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) collide in match 51 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, on Friday, May 3.

Mumbai are in a precarious position after their four-wicket loss against Lucknow Super Giants in the last game. The Hardik Pandya-led side have just three wins and seven losses from 10 games and are languishing at the ninth spot on the points table. They will have to win all four of their remaining games and rely on other results to make it to the playoffs. However, Mumbai will be playing two of their last four games against the Knight Riders, a team they have annihilated on several occasions in the past.

For Mumbai, Tilak Varma has been the standout batter. The southpaw has scored 343 runs from 10 matches at an average of 42.88 and a strike rate of 153.81, including three half-centuries. Meanwhile, former captain Rohit Sharma had an impressive start to the season but has registered single-digit scores in the last three games. In 10 matches, the legendary batter has scored 315 runs at an average of 35 and a strike rate of 158.29. Suryakumar Yadav scored two half-centuries in his first four games this season but has been quiet in the last three encounters.

Jasprit Bumrah is the joint-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2024 thus far. He has bagged 14 wickets from 10 matches at an average of 18.29 and a strike rate of 17.14. Bumrah has an incredible economy rate of just 6.40 this season. He has received solid support from Gerald Coetzee, who has picked up 13 wickets from nine games at 24.38. However, the other MI bowlers haven't been able to back their premier pacers.

Hardik's form with both bat and ball have been pedestrian and that has been a major cause of concern. Mumbai will be back at home after playing four away games on the trot. They would want to feed off the energy from the home fans and return to winning ways in what is a do-or-die encounter for them.

Also Check: IPL 2024 Points Table

Kolkata Knight Riders are in the middle of a dream campaign, having won six out of their nine matches so far in IPL 2024. They are placed at No. 2 on the points table and a win on Friday will help them consolidate their position and breath down the neck of table-toppers Rajasthan Royals.

England wicketkeeper-batter Phil Salt and veteran all-rounder Sunil Narine have been the most impactful opening pair this season. While Salt has amassed 392 runs in nine games at an average of 49 and a strike rate of 180.65, Narine has scored 372 runs from as many matches at an average of 41.33 and a strike rate of 182.35. Skipper Shreyas Iyer has not taken the tournament by storm but has scored 251 runs from nine games at an average of 41.83. Andre Russell has also played some blistering knocks down the order.

Narine has also been impeccable with the ball. He has taken 11 wickets from nine games at an average of 22.45 and conceded runs at just 6.86 per over. Fellow mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has also bagged 11 wickets from nine games at 27.09. He hasn't been at his best but has managed to pick crucial wickets.

Also Check: IPL 2024 Schedule

Wankhede Stadium Pitch Report:

Four games have been played this season at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Two games have been won by the chasing teams, while two have been won by teams batting first. The average first innings score is 190. The ball tends to swing for the first couple of overs at the Wankhede and that is the best time for bowlers to strike. However, as the shine disappears, batters take the upper hand and amass plenty of runs at the high-scoring venue. The captain who wins the toss could opt to bowl first as the pitch remains the same throughout the 40 overs.

Click Here: MI vs KKR Live Score, Match 51

Probable Playing XI:

Mumbai Indians (MI)

Mumbai benched Luke Wood in the last game as Gerald Coetzee returned to the side. The former five-time champions should stick to the same playing XI, as they are still in contention for a playoffs berth. However, last-minute niggles could force them to make changes.

Predicted XI: Ishan Kishan (WK), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, Hardik Pandya (C), Tim David, Mohammad Nabi, Gerald Coetzee, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah

Impact Player: Nuwan Thushara

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Nitish Rana, who injured himself during KKR's first match of the season, was recently seen having a full-fledged net session. He is on the road to recovery but might take a little bit longer before making a comeback. Harshit Rana has been banned for one match for breaching the IPL code of conduct and that might allow former India pacer Chetan Sakariya to get his maiden KKR cap.

Predicted XI: Phil Salt (WK), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (C), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Mitchell Starc, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy

Impact Player: Anukul Roy/Chetan Sakariya

MI vs KKR Head-to-Head Record: