IPL 2022: Match 56 – Predicted Mumbai Indians Playing XI vs Kolkata Knight Riders

In a disappointing IPL season for the five-time champions, Mumbai Indians (MI), there is something to cheer for their fans, as they have secured two consecutive victories. In 10 appearances, they have two wins and are placed at the last position in the points table. They won the last league game by five runs against Gujarat Titans (GT) in a thrilling fashion.

A terrific start by the openers and a perfect finish in the final over proved to be just enough for MI. In their next league match, they will face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai. With a clinical victory, they are expected to play with the same set of players and would hope to continue their momentum.

Here’s a look at the Mumbai Indians’ predicted XI against KKR:

Openers: Rohit Sharma (c) and Ishan Kishan (wk)

One of the most solid opening pairs with a terrific track record in the past has been a major problem for the team in this edition. On most occasions, one of them has perished early, which has denied Mumbai to get a solid start in the powerplay overs. However, they were terrific in the last outing putting up a stand of 74 runs.

Rohit has scored only 198 runs in 10 innings, at a strike rate of 128.57. In the last game, he smashed 43 off 28 balls, which was his best performance so far in the ongoing season.

The wicketkeeper Kishan started on a high, then touched lows, and is gradually returning to his natural form. In the last outing, the southpaw scored 45 off 29 balls and will be looking to continue the same form. In total, he has scored 270 runs at a strike rate of 116.88.

Middle Order: Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David

The middle-order has helped the team to revive from a bad start and lay a strong platform for the finishers. The most experienced among the three of them is Suryakumar Yadav, who joined the team camp late, but has scored 303 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 145.67. He will certainly play a key role to stitch partnerships with other players and steer the team to a strong score on the board.

The youngster, Tilak Varma has emerged as the leading run-scorer of the Mumbai Indians team with 328 runs in 10 innings at an average of 41. He has served as a glue, which has held the batting team together, and has been positive with his approach. In the last game, he scored 21 off 16 balls.

The explosive batter Tim David finally grabbed his opportunity and has performed quite well in terms of his finishing abilities. In four innings, he has scored 77 runs at a strike rate of 187.80. In the last outing, he hit a sensational unbeaten 44 off just 21 balls.

All-rounders: Kieron Pollard, Daniel Sams

For Mumbai Indians, players in this category have a lot of experience in the T20s but they have not done well enough to execute their skills in an emphatic manner. The Caribbean batter Kieron Pollard has looked out of form throughout the tournament and has been unable to provide a flourish in the final overs.

In 10 appearances, Pollard only has 129 runs at an average of 14.33 and four wickets to his name. In the last game, he contributed 4 off 14 balls and gave away 13 runs in two overs, and picked up one wicket.

The Aussie all-rounder, Daniel Sams has improved his performance with the ball after making a comeback in the second half of the tournament. In his last outing, he gave away 18 runs in three overs including an excellent last over where he conceded just three runs to help the team in securing a close victory.

Bowlers: Murugan Ashwin, Kumar Kartikeya, Jasprit Bumrah, Riley Meredith

The spinner Murugan Ashwin has been the highest wicket-taker for the team this season so far. In seven fixtures, he has scalped a total of eight wickets at an economy of 7.72 but he took two important wickets in the last game giving away 29 runs in four overs and will be in good stead.

After impressing in his debut game, the youngster Kumar Kartikeya had an ordinary day at the office in the last match with figures of 0/29 off three overs. But he is expected to retain his place in the XI.

Then the pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, has not been able to take enough wickets this season. In 10 matches, he only has five wickets to his name. The experienced pacer registered figures of 0/48 off four overs in the last outing. Another pacer, Riley Meredith, has five wickets in four appearances, his latest figures being 0/32. He would look to improve his form.

MI’s predicted playing XI for KKR’s clash: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Kieron Pollard, Daniel Sams, Murugan Ashwin, Kumar Kartikeya, Jasprit Bumrah, Riley Meredith