IPL 2018: Match 41, KKR vs MI - Mumbai Indians Predicted XI

Mumbai Indians (MI) as usual have found their groove in the second leg of the season and are now eyeing a place in the top 4 with back-to-back wins. They recently trumped Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and now have a chance to pile on the agony on them in front their home crowd as well. It is a quick turn around between the two sides as they will fight it out at the iconic Eden Gardens now. However, the defending champions have a great chance to enter into the top half of the points table by winning this encounter.

The Men in Purple and Gold have somehow not defeated Mumbai since April 2015 and would be eyeing to break the hoodoo now. Rohit Sharma and his men though can’t afford to take them lightly as they are no less than a brute force at the Eden. Also, a loss will most likely thrash all their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs this year and the defence of their title will also end.

Here we bring you the predicted XI of Mumbai Indians for this game:

Openers (Evin Lewis, Suryakumar Yadav)

Evin Lewis finally managed to get rid of his shortcomings and got some crucial runs under his belt. His quick-fire 43-run knock helped Mumbai get off to a blazing start and then the middle order was able to carry on with a good work. He needs to continue in the same vein and the Caribbean batsman would be confident of doing it against the same bowlers.

Suryakumar Yadav has been immensely consistent this season and no wonder he is second in the list of the highest run-getters. With 399 runs to his name, the former KKR player would be eager to get hold of the Orange Cap for the first time. His promotion to open the innings has worked wonders and needless to say that he will have bat the same way again.

Middle Order (Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma (c))

Ishan Kishan didn’t get to bat in the last game and Mumbai are underutilising him in last few matches. He should’ve come out to bat instead of JP Duminy in the death overs a couple of days ago as he struggled completely. Ishan has played some brilliant knocks but has also bagged two golden ducks this season leaving his side in a state of flux. Though he will be determined to make a decent contribution this time and make a difference to his team.

Rohit Sharma promoted himself at number 3 in the last match to accelerate the run-scoring but it seems he has settled at number 4. He should bat at the same position irrelevant of the match situation now. His consistency is of utmost importance in the line-up and if he hits form then the spectators will have to find shelter to save themselves from the raining sixes.

All Rounders (Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Ben Cutting)

Hardik Pandya’s resurgence has been the main reason why Mumbai are still alive in the tournament. He has scalped 14 wickets in the tournament and is second in the list of the leading wicket-takers. Not long ago, he was trolled for his poor knock against SRH in a low-scoring game, but he has come out on top after that smashing runs at will while batting at the top of the order. He has been thriving after being entrusted with more responsibility an proving his worth now as a pure all-rounder.

Krunal Pandya might just have done enough to be picked for the national side for the upcoming T20Is against Ireland. His mighty prowess with both bat and ball has helped Mumbai in the crunch moments. Even the crucial catch of Andre Russell was wonderfully taken by him. Expect more clinical show from the left-hander in the upcoming matches. JP Duminy is set to be dropped to beef up the bowling attack which will give Ben Cutting more chance to bat at number 7 and contributed more to the team’s cause.

Bowlers (Mayank Markande, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jasprit Bumrah, Mustafizur Rahman)

Mayank Markande has been the rising star this season and has improved with every match. He has proved that his heroic spell in the tournament opener was not a fluke. Even in the last match, he kept on tossing the ball up despite being hit for sixes and eventually got the key wicket of Robin Uthappa which turned the game on its head. Mitchell McClenaghan has struggled in the death overs but has bowled well up front and Rohit would be keen to bowl him out earlier like the last match as even the bowler responded well.

Jasprit Bumrah has continued to be the strike bowler for Mumbai. Though he has not been at his best, the youngster has managed to keep a lid on the run-scoring of the opposition. He is coming back in form and will be itching to improve in the upcoming games. Mustafizur Rahman will fill in the slot of the fourth overseas player as Mumbai would look to beef up their bowling line-up considering that Eden Gardens is a small ground and one of the regular bowlers can have a bad day.

Here’s the predicted XI of MI against KKR