The Mumbai Indians (MI) are set to continue their journey in the ongoing IPL (Indian Premier League) 2024 as they take on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The two teams will clash in the 51st match of the tournament at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday, May 3.
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MI vs KKR: Match Preview
The Mumbai Indians will enter the game after facing three consecutive losses and will be eager to bounce back with a victory.
Meanwhile, the Kolkata Knight Riders secured a win in their previous match and currently hold a comfortable second position in the standings. The team, which has won the championship twice before, will look to maintain their winning momentum and secure their spot in the playoffs.
Interestingly, two English players with matching initials – JB and JB – could have influenced the course of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ season. The exceptional centuries by Jos Buttler (107 not out) of the Rajasthan Royals and Jonny Bairstow (108 not out) of the Punjab Kings proved pivotal. These performances prevented the Knight Riders from sealing their playoff berth earlier. Despite their efforts, the Knight Riders faced a daunting task, failing to defend 222 against the Royals and conceding a record-breaking chase of 262 for 2 against the Punjab Kings. This has left them battling for a place in the final four.
Requiring two wins from their remaining five matches, the Knight Riders find themselves teetering on the edge of securing a playoff spot, yet with significant groundwork still ahead. Furthermore, facing the Mumbai Indians twice, particularly at the Wankhede Stadium where they have historically struggled, presents a formidable challenge. Despite maintaining a consistent hold on the second position throughout the IPL season, obtaining two victories in their final five games presents both an opportunity and a hurdle. Their destiny hangs in the balance.
Expressing the uncertainty surrounding the team’s playoff prospects, KKR’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar remarked, “I wish I could confidently say that 16 points or 14 points would suffice, but it’s impossible to predict. This tournament is among the most competitive globally, spanning two months. It’s not just about the performance in the first half; the second half holds equal weight. We’ve witnessed teams at the bottom of the table excel against the table-toppers. So, it’s challenging to determine a safe threshold for qualification. I believe the more points, the better, for any team.”
While the Knight Riders’ batting has flourished this season, with Phil Salt and Sunil Narine setting the stage for imposing totals, their bowling hasn’t quite matched up, despite the presence of the formidable Mitchell Starc, IPL’s costliest acquisition at INR 24.75 crore.
“I believe our bowling could have been more effective. ‘Below par’ wouldn’t accurately describe it,” Nayar defended, particularly addressing the performance of the Australian pace bowler, who has struggled with an economy rate exceeding 11 and has only managed to take seven wickets across eight games. Starc could potentially present a formidable challenge for Rohit Sharma, especially considering Sharma’s susceptibility to left-arm pacers this season. The Australian would be well-suited to exploit this situation if the opportunity arises.
For the Mumbai Indians, the stakes are relatively low, as their best-case scenario would only allow them to reach a maximum of 14 points by winning their remaining four games, a prospect unlikely to secure them a playoff spot. However, it presents another opportunity for skipper Hardik Pandya to prove his full fitness by bowling his full quota of overs. With little to lose, the Mumbai Indians could prove to be formidable adversaries for the Knight Riders, who have been among the top-performing teams this IPL season.
In a departure from the norm, the clash between the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) marks their first encounter this season, and it takes place at a venue where KKR has historically struggled. Over the years in the IPL, KKR has managed only one victory at the Wankhede against MI, which occurred back in 2012. Interestingly, Sunil Narine was the Player of the Match on that occasion for his 4 for 15, and all eyes will be on him again, this time for his explosive batting at the top of the order.
On Friday night, Narine could find several factors working in his favor: a batting-friendly pitch, short boundaries conducive to big hits, his current excellent form and confidence, favorable bounce facilitating powerful shots, and a Mumbai Indians bowling lineup that, apart from Jasprit Bumrah, isn’t instilling much confidence at the moment.
Moreover, Sunil Narine holds an impressive record against MI’s opener Rohit Sharma, having dismissed him nine times, the second-most in all T20s after Dwayne Bravo’s ten dismissals against Kieron Pollard.
While Rohit Sharma might draw inspiration from Narine’s aggressive batting style, he can also take confidence from his recent unbeaten century against CSK in Mumbai. However, much of the pre-game discussion will revolve around Rohit’s performance against left-arm quicks, against whom he has been dismissed five times out of nine encounters this IPL, averaging just 17 runs in 44 balls. It’s worth noting that Rohit has performed exceptionally against other bowlers like Mustafizur Rahman, Arshdeep Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, Spencer Johnson, and Reece Topley, without being dismissed by them, while scoring at a strike rate of 235.71.
The question remains: Can Mitchell Starc overcome his recent run of conceding runs and provide KKR with the early advantage against Rohit, potentially breaking the hoodoo at the Wankhede Stadium?
In Terms Of Recent Form:
Mumbai Indians LLLWL (last five matches, most recent first)
Kolkata Knight Riders WLWLW
MI vs KKR: Pitch Report & Conditions
The pitch at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai tends to favor batsmen, suggesting a high-scoring encounter. Given this, teams winning the toss might opt to bowl first and chase down the total.
Expect a fiercely competitive match with KKR pushing for a playoff spot and MI playing without pressure. The toss will play a significant role, especially considering the potential impact of dew.
While dew hasn’t been as prominent as in Chennai, chasing remains the preferred choice in Mumbai. Since IPL 2021, 26 out of 42 matches have been won by the team batting second, and seven out of 11 since IPL 2023. Mumbai’s humid conditions, with temperatures hovering around 30 degrees even at 11 pm, make bowling second a challenging proposition.
MI vs KKR: Head-to-head
- Matches Played: 32
- Mumbai Indians won: 23
- Kolkata Knight Riders Won: 9
- No Result: 0
- First Played: 29 April, 2008
- Last Played: 16 April, 2023
MI vs KKR: Team News and Impact Player Strategy
Mumbai Indians
The Mumbai Indians have been alternating between Suryakumar Yadav and Nuwan Thushara in recent games, a trend likely to continue.
Jasprit Bumrah is expected to lead the bowling attack, aiming to make early breakthroughs against KKR’s formidable opening duo, Phil Salt and Sunil Narine, who have been in excellent form.
Predicted XII:
- Ishan Kishan (wk)
- Rohit Sharma
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Tilak Varma
- Hardik Pandya (capt)
- Nehal Wadhera
- Tim David
- Mohammad Nabi
- Piyush Chawla
- Gerald Coetzee/Luke Wood
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Nuwan Thushara
Kolkata Knight Riders
KKR will face this match without both Ranas, as Harshit serves a one-game suspension and Nitish, who appeared only in the opening game before sustaining a hand injury, is still working on his fitness, hoping to return soon. In Harshit’s absence, Vaibhav Arora might find a place in the XI.
KKR’s strategy of incorporating Impact Players based on opposition continues, seen in selections like Suyash Sharma against RCB, Anukul Roy on slower tracks against right-hand heavy teams like PBKS, or Vaibhav Arora against Rajasthan Royals. Against Mumbai at Wankhede, they are likely to rely on Narine, Starc, and Varun Chakravarty as their primary bowlers and choose an impact option based on the prevailing conditions.
Mitchell Starc is expected to target Rohit Sharma, who has struggled against left-arm pacers this season, being dismissed five times in 10 games.
Predicted XII:
- Phil Salt
- Sunil Narine
- Angkrish Raghuvanshi
- Shreyas Iyer
- Venkatesh Iyer
- Rinku Singh
- Andre Russell
- Ramandeep Singh
- Dushmantha Chameera/Mitchell Starc
- Varun Chakravarthy
- Vaibhav Arora
- Anukul Roy/Suyash Sharma.
MI vs KKR: Players Under The Spotlight
MI- Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah has been a standout performer in this IPL, not only for his wicket-taking ability but also for his remarkable economy rate of 6.40 in what has been the most high-scoring IPL season to date. However, despite his consistency, he has only managed one wicket in the last three games. MI will rely heavily on him once again to provide early breakthroughs. It’s possible that opposing teams have been playing cautiously against Bumrah to target the other bowlers who have leaked runs, and how Bumrah counters this tactic will be intriguing to watch.
KKR- Venkatesh Iyer
Venkatesh Iyer hasn’t quite replicated his form from last year, where he scored 404 runs at a strike rate of 145.84, even while recovering from an ankle injury. Despite the scoring rates increasing across teams and venues this season, he hasn’t been able to make a significant impact. He appeared unsettled early on in the record game against PBKS on a flat Eden Gardens pitch. With another flat deck expected in Mumbai, Venkatesh will be eager to improve upon his current strike rate of 146.66 this season.
MI vs KKR: Match Prediction
Match Prediction:
Scenario 1
- Kolkata Knight Riders win the toss and bowl
- Power Play score: 65-75
- First Innings Score: 190-200
- Prediction: Kolkata Knight Riders win the match
Scenario 2
- Mumbai Indians win the toss and bowl
- Power Play score: 60-70
- First Innings Score: 200-210
- Prediction: Kolkata Knight Riders win the match
MI vs KKR: Dream 11 Fantasy Prediction
Team 1
- Keeper: Ishan Kishan
- Batsman: Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh,
- All-rounders: Nehal Wadhera, Suryakumar Yadav (C)
- Bowlers: Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell (VC), Sunil Narine
Team 2
- Keeper: Ishan Kishan, Phil Salt
- Batsman: Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, Shreyas Iyer
- All-rounders: Hardik Pandya (VC), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine (C)
- Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy
When and Where to Watch the Match: Streaming & Broadcast Details
What: Mumbai Indians (MI) vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), IPL 2024
When: 7:30 PM IST, Friday – May 3
Where: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Where to watch MI vs KKR Live Streaming: JioCinema app for FREE
Where to watch MI vs KKR Live Telecast: Star Sports
