Slow starters Mumbai Indians are all set for the face-off against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
Mumbai Indians, which is coming off back-to-back losses, will aim to get back to winning ways. Their first loss came against archrivals Chennai Super Kings, followed by another defeat against Shubman Gill’s Gujarat Titans. In these two matches, fans have witnessed that MI’s top-order batting lineup is somewhat lacking in holding wickets on the pitch. In captain Hardik Pandya’s own words, MI’s top order hasn’t come to the party yet. Along with this, in the game against Gujarat Titans, Mumbai’s fielders committed numerous fielding errors and probably made a mistake with their batting order too. As they finally get home after two away games, they have had only one day’s break. MI currently holds the ninth position in the points table with a negative NRR of 1.163.
On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders began their campaign with a loss; however, they would be confident against Mumbai Indians as they are coming off a successful victory against Rajasthan Royals by 8 wickets. For now, if we see KKR’s batting and bowling, everything looks a lot more potent and well-rounded than MI’s. The three-time champions currently sit at the seventh spot in the points table with a negative NRR of 0.308.
Pitch Report:
Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium has long been recognized for its batting-friendly pitch. The short boundaries often lead to high-scoring contests, and the surface remains consistent throughout the match. Additionally, dew in the second half favors the chasing team, making bowling first the preferred choice for any captain winning the toss to capitalize on the evening conditions.
KKR’s squad:
Quinton de Kock (w), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, and Varun Chakaravarthy.
Impact player: Angkrish Raghuvanshi
MI’s squad:
Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (w), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Satyanarayana Raju.
Impact Player: Robin Minz
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