🏏 IPL 2024 ~ Match 51: Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders🏏

🏏 IPL 2024 ~ Match 51: Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders🏏 

 Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. 

Credit: WildestDreams

Led by Hardik Pandya, Mumbai Indians will face Shreyas Iyer’s Kolkata Knight Riders in match number 51 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday.

MI, with its poor performance, has won only 3 matches out of 10 that they have played. On the other hand, KKR has won six matches out of 9. While MI is at the bottom of the points table, KKR is placed at the second position.

MI has an overwhelming dominance over KKR on the head-to-head ratio, as the latter only managed to win in nine games, against 23 wins by Mumbai Indians in 32 matches. In their last three matches, KKR won two of them. 

At this venue, this winning ratio is more one-sided, as KKR has won only once in this venue.

After ten matches, MI has managed to win only three, lost their last three games, and placed ninth in the points table. 

The visitors started the campaign with three consecutive wins and are currently positioned second after nine matches with 12 points.

The Knight Riders' batting has exploded spectacularly this season, with Phil Salt and Sunil Narine providing platforms for formidable totals. 

However, their bowling hasn't quite matched up, despite the presence of the irresistible Mitchell Starc, IPL's most expensive buy (INR 24.75 crore).

Tag credit: Sutapasima

Pitch Report: 

The surface at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai is one that is preferred by the batters. With a high-scoring encounter expected at the venue, opting to bowl first and chasing down the total could prove to be an optimal decision for the side winning the toss. 

In T20 cricket, high scores are expected at Wankhede due to a good pitch, fresh surface, and short boundaries. Teams might choose to bowl first if they win the toss. Out of 112 IPL matches played here so far, 62 have been won by teams batting second.

MI vs KKR, IPL 2024: Weather forecast 

The temperature in Mumbai on Friday will hover around 33 degrees when the match starts and it will remain nearly the same throughout the game. There is no chance of rain and the wind speed will remain at 13 km/h with 60 percent humidity in the air.

Two Englishmen with identical initials - JB and JB - could have altered the fate of Kolkata Knight Riders' season. Had it not been for the extraordinary centuries by Jos Buttler (107 not out) of Rajasthan Royals and Jonny Bairstow (108 not out) of Punjab Kings, the Knight Riders might have secured their playoff spot by now. However, they succumbed to a record-breaking chase (262 for 2) against Punjab and failed to defend a formidable 222 against the Royals, leaving them jostling for a place in the final four.

With a need for two victories from their remaining five games, the Knight Riders stand on the brink of playoffs but still with much work to do to seal it. Moreover, facing Mumbai Indians twice, against whom they've historically struggled, especially at the Wankhede, poses a difficult challenge. Despite maintaining the No 2 position consistently since the start of the IPL, securing two wins in their final five matches presents both an opportunity as well as a challenge. Their fate remains uncertain.

MI vs KKR Probable Playing XIs

Mumbai Indians:

Ishan Kishan (WK), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, Hardik Pandya (C), Tim David, Mohammad Nabi, Gerald Coetzee, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah

Impact substitute - Nuwan Thushara

Kolkata Knight Riders:

Phil Salt (WK), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (C), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Mitchell Starc, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy

Impact substitute - Anukul Roy

Probable Best Players of the Match

Probable Best Batter:

Phil Salt: He could be the best batter in the upcoming game against Mumbai Indians. With 392 runs in his last nine games, Salt has been in impeccable form, and his knock could be key against MI.

Probable Best Bowler:

Jasprit Bumrah: He could be the best bowler in the upcoming game. With 14 wickets in his last 10 matches, Bumrah has been brilliant for MI and his spell could be key against KKR in the upcoming game.

IPL 2024 MI vs KKR: Top Four Wicket-takers in Match 51 Jasprit Bumrah (MI): The Indian right-arm fast bowler is known for his unorthodox bowling action and tremendous speed, which are fuelled up with accurate yorkers, making him a lethal pacer in limited-over cricket. The 30-year-old has bagged 14 wickets this season with a meagre economy rate of 6.40. His role will be crucial against the in-form Knight openers in the powerplay overs.

Gerald Coetzee (MI): The South Africa national has picked up 13 wickets so far in this IPL. Along with Bumrah, his duty will also be to contain Knight's opening batters in the early overs. Coetzee has to step up against the Knights, as he remains costly throughout the season despite getting wickets regularly.

Mitchell Starc (KKR): The Australian left-arm fast bowler has been below average this season. Starc, despite being the most expensive buy in IPL history, has failed to make an impact till now. He has only 7 wickets in this IPL, with a poor economy rate. Yet his left-handed pace may help KKR get an early wicket from Rohit Sharma, and it is high time for him to step up to help his team reach the playoffs.

Vaibhav Arora (KKR): The 26-year-old Indian right-arm medium-fast bowler has bagged nine wickets this season. As Harshit Rana will miss the match, it is a great chance for him to steal the limelight. Though he has remained expensive in past matches, a fiery spell can be expected from him in the match against MI.

KKR has missed their chances to already seal a spot in the playoffs by losing two matches against RR and PBKS at home despite posting humongous scores. Though winning two out of the remaining five games should not be a problem, it won't be a walk in the park. The Knights have to face MI twice, against whom they have struggled historically. Despite the past records, an interesting battle can be expected from these arch-rivals, as the recent form is now with KKR.

MI vs KKR IPL 2024: Bowling Squad Comparison Knights batters are in great form this season, but bowling has failed to match up. The most expensive buy in IPL history, Mitchell Starc remains ineffective and costly in most of the matches. 

The Knights will miss their best pacer Harshit Rana against MI, as Rana got himself suspended due to misconduct on the field. Other pacers will be Andre Russell, Vaibhav Arora, and possibly Chetan Sakariya. Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy will lead the spin attack.

For MI, Jasprit Bumrah and Gerald Coetzee are in good form. Both are getting wickets in almost every match. Nuwan Thusara and Hardik Pandya will be the other pace options for the hosts. In the spin department, Mumbai is seriously lacking in experience and variation this season. Piyush Chawla is the only veteran spinner yet to deliver an impactful performance,

Team Watch:

Mumbai Indians

Injuries/Unavailability: Have no reported case of an injury to any of their players.

Tactics & Matchups: Jasprit Bumrah should be the one to bowl up front to make an initial dent into the batting of KKR whose openers, Phil Salt and Sunil Narine, have been in fearsome form. They may bring in Kumar Kartikeya in place of one of the spinners. 

Kolkata Knight Riders

Injuries/Unavailability: Have no injury concerns; Harshit Rana is unavailable due to a Code of Conduct breach.

Tactics & Matchups: Mitchell Starc should be bowling to Rohit Sharma, who has shown vulnerability to left-arm pacers this season, having got out five times in 10 games.

Did you know?

- No side has beaten an opponent in the IPL as often as MI have beaten KKR - 23 times

- MI have lost 19 wickets in Powerplay - the second most by any side behind Delhi Capitals' 21 

Today’s Match Prediction: Kolkata Knight Riders to win the match

Scenario 1  

Kolkata Knight Riders win the toss and bowl

Power Play score – 65-75

First Innings Score - 190-200

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

Kolkata Knight Riders win the match

What they said:

"We have to play to win and that's the way we play cricket, to win each game. So it doesn't matter how many points we can get, we're going to play each game and try to win as big as possible and if there is opportunity, you know, that's the only way we can actually get opportunities if we win the games." - Romario Shepherd on MI's approach in the hopeless situation of qualifying for play-offs.

"It's a very personal bond. It is best understood by those two people. It is not necessarily a coaching thing, it can also be a trust thing. Sometimes just having someone in the dugout and having that aura around you can have a positive effect on the player. There can be many other things, like Gauti telling him to go there and play with freedom. Gautam Gambhir is Kolkata's golden boy, he has come and won us two championships as captain, and Sunil Narine has been part of that journey. There's always going to be a certain memory that Sunny taps into. It's a deeper bond that both of them have and that is reflecting in Sunny's batting. He understands and trusts the guy trusts everything I am gonna do, win or lose, succeed or rail." - KKR asst coach Abhishek Nayar on the bond between Gautam Gambhir and Sunil Narine