IPL 2018: Match 41, KKR vs MI, Preview- Can the Knight Riders give Mumbai the taste of their own medicine?

The Knight Riders haven't won against the Mumbai Indians since 2014.

Published - 08 May 2018, 22:05 IST | Updated - 08 May 2018, 22:05 IST

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Mumbai Indians (MI) have dominated the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their previous encounters as KKR have slumped to seven consecutive defeats against Rohit Sharma’s men. The dubious past record won’t keep the Knights in good stead ahead of their clash against MI at the Eden Gardens. Meanwhile, they are hanging midway in the league table and are in dire requisite of a victory.

Last time around, Dinesh Karthik’s men turned out to be erratic as their batsmen couldn’t score the required runs at the Wankhede Stadium even after getting the bowlers by the scruff of their necks. Nevertheless, their spinners bowled decently and restricted the Mumbai batsmen, which is a positive sign for the franchise ahead of their eleventh game of the tournament.

MI, on the contrary, began the event in the worst possible way but has stormed back with three wins out of their last four games. Most importantly, the victories have kept them in the hunt for a berth in the playoffs. On Wednesday, they have an opportunity to move to the fourth position, provided they manage to beat the home team by a particular margin.

Toss: KKR won the toss and elected to bowl first

Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Suryakumar Yadav, Evin Lewis, Rohit Sharma(c), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Jean-Paul Duminy, Ishan Kishan(w), Ben Cutting, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Tom Curran, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav

Team Combination

Kolkata Knight Riders

The first and foremost strategy of the Knights will be to promote Sunil Narine in the opening position and Gill to be sent in the middle order. The rest of batting lineup doesn’t need to be altered. Chris Lynn and Narine combine well and the stand shouldn’t be tinkered with. Nitish Rana played well in his comeback game and needs to replicate the same in Kolkata.

The bowlers were exceptional in the last game and would want to maintain their form in order to put a lid on the Mumbai batsmen. Prasidh Krishna was expensive but churned out excellent line and lengths. The spinners in Kuldeep Yadav, Sunil Narine and Piyush Chawla’s role would be crucial as well. Andre Russell was impressive in the last match and needs to carry forward his form.

Mumbai Indians

Evin Lewis and Suryakumar Yadav will remain the openers followed by Ishan Kishan who has gone into a slump following an impressive start to the event. Rohit Sharma has to contribute in some way or the other being the skipper of the team. Hardik and Krunal Pandya have shown that they can muster the runs in the hour of need. Ben Cutting’s abilities with the willow can’t be undermined either.

The bowling lineup has done decently for MI. The spinners in Mayank Markande, Krunal Pandya need to play a vital role in the slow wickets at the Eden Gardens. Hardik Pandya, who is the leading wicket-taker also needs to do his bit with the leather. Mustafizur Rahman might replace JP Duminy in the team and he will be partnered by Mitchell McClenaghan in the fast-bowling department.

Players to watch out for

Kuldeep Yadav- Kolkata Knight Riders

Kuldeep hasn’t been in the best of form this season. He was expected to play a major role for the Knight Riders bearing in mind the fact that he has been an integral part of India’s limited-overs squad. The chinaman bowler needs to deliver if KKR are to turn their dismal record against Rohit Sharma‘s boys in the last four seasons.

Rohit Sharma- Mumbai Indians

Sharma’s record at the venue has been one to be envied. On several occasions, he has turned out to be a thorn in the flesh of his rivals at the venue. He hasn’t been in at the best of forms in the tournament. However, the game-changing abilities of the Mumbai skipper can’t be undermined by any means.