Published: May 06, 2018, 07:00 AM (IST)
Edited: May 06, 2018, 10:19 AM (IST)
Match 37 of the VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 will see Mumbai Indians (MI) take on their most favourite opponents in Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The match will be played at the Wankhede, Mumbai. Going into the tie, MI hold a humongous advantage KKR, having won 15 out of 20 IPL games between the two sides. At Wankhede, too, Mumbai have a better win loss ratio against Kolkata 4:1.
Mumbai managed to scratch past Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) on Friday evening, yet again their ever-shaky batting order proved to be a worry for them. Rohit demoting himself match after match does not make for anestablished batting unit. The Pandya brothers, too, haven’t been consistent enough with the bat. Bowling continues to survive on rough waters, but will need to step up soon as a unit. There is too much of reliance on JaspritBumrah
KKR, meanwhile have a wafer-thin batting unit, with an underperforming Robin Uthappa. His failures have added more pressure on the likes of Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh and others. Rana’s fitness remains to be a cause of concern, but for Shubman Gill an opportunity. Gill showcased his batting prowess when promoted to No.4. Dinesh Karthik’s nimbleness has helped and then having someone like Andre Russell always helps.
Mitchell Johnson leaked runs aplenty in their win against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and could be replaced by Tom Curran. Their spin department continues to be a driving force this season, with all three contributing in one match or the other.
Likely XIs:
MI:Evin Lewis, Suryakumar Yadav, IshanKishan (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), JP Duminy, HardikPandya, KrunalPandya, Ben Cutting, Mitchell McClenaghan, JaspritBumrah, MayankMarkande
KKR: Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), PiyushChawla, Mitchell Johnson, Robin Uthappa, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Chris Lynn, Kuldeep Yadav, NitishRana/Rinku Singh, Shubman Gill, ShivamMavi
Predictions:
Mumbai having won a tough game against Kings XI Punjab and will be riding high on confidence. Given their track record against Mumbai, Kolkata will eager to turn the numbers in their favour. With both teams eying a place in the playoffs, Wankhede is definitely going to witness a war of epic proportions on Sunday afternoon.
Kolkata just might come out on top due to their superior form.
