IPL 2020, KKR vs MI: Match preview, Dream11 and more
Defending champions Mumbai Indians will face Kolkata Knight Riders in the fifth match of Indian Premier League (2020). The tourney moves to Abu Dhabi, wherein the Rohit Sharma-led side lost their opening match against Chennai Super Kings. Meanwhile, the Knight Riders, who fancy playing in UAE, will play their first game in the ongoing season. Here is the match preview.
Venue, timing, TV listing, pitch report and conditions
The Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi will host the encounter on September 23 (7:30 PM IST). As seen in the first game, the wicket here is sticky, while spinners will likely have the edge. Besides, the humid level is expected to be high. One can watch the match live on Star India network, while live streaming is also available on Hotstar app.
Will Rohit Sharma break the deadlock?
Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma would certainly want to cover up his woes against wrist-spinners. In the previous game, he fell to wrist-spinner Piyush Chawla. Besides, it will be interesting to see how the MI bowlers tackle KKR all-rounder Andre Russell, who is known for his big hits. Probable XI: Rohit (c), de Kock (wk), Suryakumar, Saurabh, Krunal, Hardik, Pollard, Pattinson, Chahar, Boult, Bumrah.
All eyes will be on Pat Cummins
The addition of IPL's most expensive foreign buy Pat Cummins will bolster the fast bowling segment of KKR. Notably, the Dinesh Karthik-led side also include perhaps two of the greatest all-rounders, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell. Meanwhile, the inclusion of England limited-overs skipper Eoin Morgan is also a plus. Probable XI: Narine, Gill, Rana, Karthik (C/WK), Morgan, Russell, Mavi, Cummins, Kuldeep, Krishna, Nagarkoti.
KKR vs MI: A look at the head-to-head record
Mumbai Indians have had a considerable success over Kolkata Knight Riders in the tournament. In 25 such matches, the Rohit Sharma-led franchise have registered as many as 19 victories. They have the highest win percentage (76.00) against KKR (among the teams MI have faced over 10 times). Besides, KKR have managed to win only six of them with a win percentage of 24.00.
Records that can be broken in the upcoming match
Rohit Sharma (4,910) is mere 90 runs away from touching the 5,000-run mark in the Indian Premier League. He could become only the third batsman to do so after Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli. Also, Rohit needs to six maximums to reach 200 IPL sixes. Interestingly, MI have lost only one of the last ten games against KKR since 2015.
Dream11: Narine, Pandya to lead the side
Dream11: Wicket-keeper: Dinesh Karthik. Batsmen: Saurabh Tiwary, Suryakumar Yadav, Rahul Tripathi, Shubman Gill. All-rounders: Hardik Pandya (VC), Sunil Narine (C), Andre Russell. Bowlers: Pat Cummins, Trent Boult, Kuldeep Yadav.
