Mumbai Indians’ dominant record against KKR
This IPL season, for the first time, Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will clash at Wankhede Stadium, a venue where KKR has a dismal record. They’ve only managed one win against MI at Wankhede, all the way back in 2012. Interestingly, Sunil Narine was the Player of the Match in that victory, taking 4 wickets for just 15 runs. This time around, all eyes will be on him again, but for his explosive batting at the top of the order.
Sunil Narine’s domination over Rohit Sharma
Narine boasts an impressive record against MI opener Rohit Sharma, dismissing him a staggering nine times in T20 cricket – the second-highest after Dwayne Bravo’s 10 dismissals of Kieron Pollard. Rohit, however, will be looking to draw inspiration from Narine’s aggressive batting and his own unbeaten century against CSK in Mumbai’s previous match here.
Can Mitchell Starc break the Wankhede hoodoo?
KKR will be hoping pace spearhead Mitchell Starc can overcome his recent struggles and provide them with early breakthroughs against Rohit Sharma, potentially breaking their Wankhede curse.
Form Guide
- Mumbai Indians: LLLWL
- Kolkata Knight Riders: WLWLW
Probable Playing XIs
- Mumbai Indians: Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav/Nuwan Thushara, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Nehal Wadhera, Tim David, Mohammad Nabi, Piyush Chawla, Gerald Coetzee/Luke Wood, Jasprit Bumrah, Nuwan Thushara/Suryakumar Yadav
- Kolkata Knight Riders: Phil Salt, Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shreyas Iyer (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Dushmantha Chameera/Mitchell Starc, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Anukul Roy/Suyash Sharma
Key Players in Spotlight
- Jasprit Bumrah (MI): Despite his excellent economy rate, Bumrah has only taken one wicket in the last three games. MI will be hoping he can replicate his early-wicket taking form.
- Venkatesh Iyer (KKR): After a stellar performance last year, Venkatesh Iyer hasn’t quite found his rhythm this season. He’ll be looking to capitalize on the flat Wankhede wicket and improve his strike rate.
Intriguing Stats
- Will KKR open the bowling with Narine to target Rohit Sharma?
- Will Suryakumar Yadav take on the KKR spin duo of Narine and Chakravarthy?
- Can Tim David continue his dominance over Andre Russell in the head-to-head battle?
Pitch and Conditions
While dew hasn’t been a significant factor like in Chennai, chasing remains the preferred option at Wankhede. The hot and humid conditions won’t make bowling second any easier.