IPL 2021: MI vs KKR: Here is the match preview
Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders will square off in the 34th Match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. The defending champions suffered a defeat to Chennai Super Kings in their previous encounter. They require a win to resurrect their campaign. Meanwhile, KKR are coming off a one-sided win against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Here is the match preview.
Here is the head-to-head record
Mumbai have had the upper hand over Kolkata in the IPL. The two teams have clashed in 28 games, with Mumbai winning 22 of them. They have a win percentage of 78.57 against KKR. Meanwhile, KKR have managed to win just six games (win percentage: 21.43). Notably, Mumbai have won four of the last five encounters against KKR.
A look at the key details
The Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi will host the impending match. Notably, the wicket here favored the bowlers in the match between KKR and RCB. Seven of the last eight matches here have been won by the chasing team. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on the Hotstar app (paid subscription).
Rohit Sharma likely to return
Rohit Sharma, who missed the clash against CSK, is expected to return. Stand-in skipper Kieron Pollard indicated at the toss that Rohit will be back for the next match. It remains to be seen if Hardik Pandya plays. Probable XI: Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper), Sharma (captain), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Tiwary/Hardik, Krunal Pandya, Adam Milne, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult
KKR would want to go with the same XI
KKR wouldn't want to alter the XI that thrashed RCB. They have a prolific bowling attack which can decimate any opposition. Their batting wasn't tested much against RCB as openers Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer brought them home. Probable XI: Gill, Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (captain), Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy, Prasidh Krishna
Here are the top performers
Karthik has racked up 338 runs from 23 games at a strike rate of 126.11 against MI. In the bowling segment, Narine has taken 22 wickets with the best bowling performance of 4/15. Against KKR, Rohit has aggregated 982 runs at a strike rate of 133.06, while Bumrah has picked up 12 wickets with the best match haul of 3/7.
Recap: What happened in the last encounter?
MI had edged out KKR in their previous encounter this season. They were bundled out for 152 after KKR invited them to bat. Russell took a five-wicket haul in just two overs. KKR were cruising at 72/1, eyeing a comfortable win. However, they faced an untimely batting collapse. None of the middle-order batters scored in double digits. KKR lost the match by 10 runs.
